Oilcake
Also known as presscake, pomace or oilmeal, oilcake is the material that remains
after the oil has been extracted from the seed. With physical pressing systems, up to
10% of oil may remain in the oilcake. Oilcake is often used as animal food, and is a
valuable source of oil, protein (up to 50%) and other nutrients.
Gr
Oilcake can be used as fertiliser, though this normally has little influence on soil
condition due to the small quantities applied.
Castor
Ricinus communis
Mole Bean, Castor Bean, Castor Oil Plant, Palma Christi;
Ricin (French); Rizinus (German); Rícino, Mamona, Mamoneira(o) (Portuguese);
Palma Christic, Ricino, Tartago, Higuerilla (Spanish); Khirwa (Arabic); Arand, Rehri
(Hindi); Gulo (Amharic), Kobo (Oromifa)—Ethiopia; Olomolo, Mono (Angola)
Castor oil, a member of the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, was used by the ancient
Egyptians as an illuminant. It was popular in medicine in the modern world up to the
20th century, principally as a purgative, and nowadays it is used mainly in industry
and to some extent in the home. The oil is non-drying and has unique physical and
chemical properties, such as its viscosity which does not change with temperature.
The wild plants and older varieties are short-lived perennial trees up to 12 m tall,
of these modern varieties, including hybrids, are dwarf types no more than 3m tall.
These days castor is mainly grown for the oil, used in the plastic and synthetic
fibre industry, and for production of synthetic aircraft lubricants for high speed
engines. It is also used as a solvent, in paints and varnishes, lino, oilcloth, ink and in
the treatment of leather and textile dyes. The traditional method of oil extraction is
to boil the crushed seed in water and then skim off the oil that floats to the surface.
The seeds are poisonous due to their highly toxic blood coagulant called ricin
and a powerful allergen, a protein polysaccharide. Ricin is a lectin, and is used in
certain experimental cancer therapies. Eating just one seed can make you feel
nauseous; eating several can be fatal. The ricin and the allergen are removed from
the oil if it is extracted properly, but they remain in the oilcake or residue. As a
result this oilcake, the castor pomace, is normally used as fertiliser, though there are
methods of detoxicating the meal so that it can be fed to livestock. The leaves and
stems contain smaller amounts of ricin and should not be fed to animals.
The crop needs plenty of heat and is grown in the hot regions of Asia, India,
oun dnut oilcake may contain aflatoxins and so is potentially toxic, and rape
seed oilcake may contain glucosinolates (responsible for the bitter or sharp taste of
many common foods such as mustard, cabbage, horseradish and brussel sprouts).
while most varieties cultivated these days are annual herbs 1–7 m tall. The majority
Brazil, Africa, North America, the Mediterranean, China and Russia. About one third