Description
Corn oil (maize oil) 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.
Almost all corn oil is expeller-pressed, then solvent-extracted
using hexane or *-methylpentane (isohexane).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 *****0 °C (*****0
°F) under a high vacuum.
Some specialty oil producers manufacture unrefined,
**0%-expeller-pressed corn oil. This is a more expensive product
since it has a much lower yield than the combination expeller and
solvent process, as well as a smaller market share.
