Corn oil (North American) or maize oil (British) is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Corn oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils.
Corn oil is also a feedstock used for biodiesel. Other industrial uses for corn oil include soap, salve, paint, erasers, rustproofing for metal surfaces, inks, textiles, nitroglycerin, and insecticides. It is sometimes used as a carrier for drug molecules in pharmaceutical preparations. Due to its low cost, corn oil is also one of the most popular choices for use in egg addling, an avian population control method in which a bird's egg is coated with oil to prevent the embryo from receiving oxygen.[1][2]
Production
Almost all corn oil is expeller-pressed, then solvent-extracted using hexane or 2-methylpentane (isohexane).[3] The solvent is evaporated from the corn oil, recovered, and re-used. After extraction, the corn oil is then refined by degumming and/or alkali treatment, both of which remove phosphatides. Alkali treatment also neutralizes free fatty acids and removes color (bleaching). Final steps in refining include winterization (the removal of waxes), and deodorization by steam distillation of the oil at 232–260 °C (450–500 °F) under a high vacuum.[3]
| Country | Production, 2018 (tonnes) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,707,600 | |||
| 2 | 483,700 | |||
| 3 | 145,548 | |||
| 4 | 83,700 | |||
| 5 | 82,503 | |||
| 6 | 69,300 | |||
| 7 | 67,900 | |||
| 8 | 64,700 | |||
| 9 | 62,300 | |||
| 10 | 53,000 | |||
| Source : FAOSTAT[4] | ||||
Constituents and comparison
- Of the saturated fatty acids, 80% are palmitic acid (lipid number of C16:0), 14% stearic acid (C18:0), and 3% arachidic acid (C20:0).
- Over 99% of the monounsaturated fatty acids are oleic acid (C18:1 cis-9)
- 98% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids are the omega-6 linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6).[5][6]
See also
References
- ^ "The Use of Egg Addling in Wildlife Damage Management". United States Department of Agriculture
- ^ McGlashen, Andy (6 February 2020). "Without Solid Science, Government Plans to Expand Cormorant Killing Methods". Audubon
- ^ Corn Refiners Association. Corn Oil Archived 2019-04-12 at the Wayback Machine 5th Edition. 2006
- ^ "Faostat"
- ^ Daley, C.A.; Abbott, A.; Doyle, P.; Nader, G.; Larson, S. (2004). "A literature review of the value-added nutrients found in grass-fed beef products". California State University, Chico (College of Agriculture). Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ Yong Q. Chen & at al (2007). "Modulation of prostate cancer genetic risk by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids". The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 117 (7): 1866–1875. doi:10.1172/JCI31494. PMC 1890998. PMID 17607361
Further reading
- Dupont J; PJ White; MP Carpenter; EJ Schaefer; SN Meydani; CE Elson; M Woods; SL Gorbach (October 1990). "Food uses and health effects of corn oil". J Am Coll Nutr. 9 (5): 438–470. doi:10.1080/07315724.1990.10720403. PMID 2258533
External links
- Institute of Shortening and Edible Oils
- The Maize Page (archived 13 July 2005)