The corn germ is the necessary part of the corn grain to make corn oil and it can also be used in feed formulations. Usually the corn germ is around 8% in the total corn grain, and the corn germ’s oil content is approx. 50%.
There are two common production methods for corn germ oil: pressing method, suitable for small and medium-sized corn oil producers, and solvent extraction method, suitable for large-scale corn oil producers. Currently, most corn oil producers in China use the pressing method, which has a yield of about 65%. However, the solvent extraction method has a yield of up to 97%, so large-scale corn oil producers generally choose this method.
Dingsheng Machine provides the complete sets of advanced corn germ oil processing solutions, including corn germ pre-treatment process, solvent extraction process, and corn oil refining and filling process, while increasing annual output, help germ corn oil mill achieve higher processing capacity and improve their products quality and profit.
1, Pretreatment process involves screening the corn germs and ensuring that they have minimal impurities, starch, and corn husks before entering the oil production workshop, as these factors can affect the oil extraction rate.
The corn germs are heated in a steam cooker to fully denature and solidify proteins, reduce the viscosity of the oil, and promote further aggregation of oil droplets. This facilitates the flow of oil from the cells and provides favorable conditions for the oil press.
2, The solvent extraction process involves further soaking the processed corn germ cake in a solvent, typically hexane, to dissolve the corn oil present in the cake. This is followed by a series of steps, such as mixing oil processing, where the oil is separated from the solvent through evaporation and distillation based on their different boiling points, resulting in crude corn oil.
The crude corn oil obtained after extraction contains some impurities, such as free fatty acids, phospholipids, pigments, and small amounts of protein colloids. These impurities are not suitable for consumption or storage of corn oil. Therefore, further refining processes are carried out to remove these impurities and produce refined corn oil that meets national standards. Refined corn oil can then be sold in the market.
3, To obtain refined corn oil, it needs to undergo various processing steps such as degumming, deacidification, decolorization, deodorization, and dewaxing. Degumming or alkali refining is used to remove phospholipids from the corn oil. Alkali refining also helps neutralize free fatty acids and remove color through bleaching. The final steps of the refining process include winterization and steam distillation under high vacuum at temperatures ranging from 232–260 °C for deodorization.
Refining processes involve innovative combinations of different techniques and aim to efficiently coordinate with other parts of the production line. This improves overall refining efficiency, ensures the quality and food safety of corn oil, and extends the storage time of the oil.
4, We also provide the complete sets of automatic filling production line equipment, including automatic bottle blowing machine, automatic filling machine, conveyor belt, stainless steel inspection light box, automatic labeling machine, laser engraving machine, automatic capping machine, and carton sealing machine.
