A guide to Cold pressed oils

Both wood pressed and bull driven oil is used for cooking and is called cold pressed oil. Besides, the same raw materials are used in the extraction process. The major difference between them is the pressing technique. Let's dive in deep to understand it in detail.

Bull driven oil:

In the olden days, the oils were produced naturally to extract oil using Chekku or Ghani which are driven by bulls. Where the seeds are crushed in the wooden axis and don't involve any kind of heating during the extraction. The oil extracted in this process is called wood pressed oils. This oil has more benefits and is healthier than refined oil. However, this procedure of oil extraction is time-consuming because it takes more than two hours to extract 8 liters of oil. Further, the animals have to be trained for the process and it is expensive to feed them. We at naatigrains are following this practice as an initiative to bring back traditional methods and help the farmers.

Wood pressed oil :

Nowadays to make the process efficient and stick with the natural way of extraction, the Ghani or chekku is replaced with motors attached to the wooden or stone axis to extract the oil. This process is known as cold pressed oil because in the process the temperature is not more than 30°C, and there is no inclusion of any chemicals. Hence the nutrients and vitamins are retained. We use traditional wooden churns connected to motors, so the oil is low in acidic value and ready to use after precipitation and filtration.

Recently, cold pressed oils are gaining popularity among people for their benefits. Unlike traditional methods in a modern way, oil is extracted by roasting the seeds and pressed under high temperature, which is known as hot-pressed oils or refined oils. It involves a high supply of heat during the extraction and this approach is considered to be efficient because it extracts more oil from the seed with less wastage. However, this method harms the oil's chemical composition which removes the majority of the nutrients found in oilseeds. During the process, solvents are added by making the oil harmful and toxic for us.

Benefits of Cold pressed oil: 

Polyunsaturated fatty acids:

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are abundant in cold pressed oils. Vitamin E and phenols are also included, which aid in decreasing blood cholesterol levels, protecting the liver from oxidative damage, and regulating oxidative stress.

Vitamin E :

Seeds' healthy and nutritious characteristics are preserved in cold pressed oils. Vitamin E contains anti-inflammatory and therapeutic effects.

Nutrition value:

Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are abundant in cold pressed oil. In addition, they include zinc as well as vitamins A, C, E, D, lecithin, and potassium. Since they have high nutritional content and are therefore recommended as a cooking option.

Immunity booster:

The high amount of oleic acids present in cold pressed oil, aids to strengthen the immune system. They also include natural antioxidants, which prevent the onset of cell damage in the body.

Flavor:

Food prepared with cold-pressed oil has a distinct flavor and aroma. This is simply because that the flavor and aroma are not lost during the extraction process due to heat.

Hence, wood pressed or cold pressed are preferred as they retain all the flavor, aroma, nutritional value and are available at an affordable price. It's the right time to change your cooking oil to lead a healthy life and recommend the importance and benefits of cold pressed oil to others.