How It's Made - Canola Oil

Summary

This video explains the production process of canola oil, from the harvest of canola seeds to its refinement and bottling. It covers key steps such as cleaning the seeds, extracting oil using mechanical and chemical methods, and refining the oil by removing impurities, waxes, and odors. The process also makes use of byproducts like animal feed and vegetable shortening. The oil is then packaged in bottles, ensuring cleanliness and quality control before being shipped to consumers. Canola oil is highlighted as a healthy cooking option, with low saturated fat and high omega-3 content.

Takeaways

• 🌼 Canola oil is derived from the seeds of the canola plant, which produces bright yellow flowers in the summer.
• 🌱 North American farmers have been cultivating canola for approximately 30 years.
• 🌿 Canola oil is considered one of the healthiest cooking oils due to its low saturated fat content (7%) and high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• 🔍 The oil extraction process begins with cleaning the seeds to remove foreign materials and metal contaminants.
• 🌾 The seeds are crushed into thin flakes in a roller mill, which prepares them for oil extraction.
• 🤲 A screw press is used to extract nearly 3/4 of the oil from the canola seeds, leaving the remainder in the pressed flakes known as canola cake.
• 🧼 The remaining oil in the canola cake is removed through a chemical extraction process using a solvent.
• 🔄 The extracted oil undergoes a refining process, which includes washing, filtering, and bleaching to remove impurities and natural waxes.
• 🏭 The factory also recycles by-products, such as using the separated waxes to produce vegetable shortening and selling impurities to soap manufacturers.
• 🏡 Once bottled, canola oil has a shelf life of about a year when stored properly in a pantry.

Q & A

What is canola oil derived from?

Canola oil is derived from the seeds of the canola plant.

How long have North American farmers been growing canola plants?

North American farmers have been growing canola plants for about 30 years.

What happens to the seeds after the canola plant blooms?

After the canola plant blooms in the summer, farmers harvest the seeds from pods that form after the flowers die off.

Why is canola oil considered one of the healthiest cooking oils?

Canola oil is considered one of the healthiest cooking oils because it has the lowest level of saturated fat at 7%, contains more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and is high in monounsaturated fat which lowers cholesterol.

What is the first step in the canola oil processing factory?

The first step in the canola oil processing factory is to clean the seeds in a vibrating cleaner to remove foreign material.

How does the factory separate foreign material from the seeds?

The factory separates foreign material from the seeds using a vibrating cleaner where seeds smaller than the openings in the cleaner's mesh fall through to a conveyor below, while the foreign material remains on top.

What is the purpose of the magnet in the canola oil processing?

The magnet in the canola oil processing is used to remove any metal that may have fallen in during the journey from field to factory.

How does the roller mill process the canola seeds?

The roller mill processes the canola seeds by passing them between two steel rollers which crush them into thin flakes.

What percentage of canola seed is oil, and how much does the screw press extract?

42% of a canola seed is oil, and the screw press extracts nearly 3/4 of that amount.

What is the second extraction process used in the canola oil production, and how long does it take?

The second extraction process used in canola oil production is a 70-minute wash with a solvent, which is a chemical extraction process that removes all but a trace of oil.

What happens to the canola cake after the oil is extracted?

After the oil is extracted, the canola cake is ground into protein-rich meal which is then sold as animal feed.

What is the purpose of washing the oil with sodium hydroxide during the refining phase?

The purpose of washing the oil with sodium hydroxide is to remove natural impurities, which are then separated using centrifugal force and can be sold to soap manufacturers.

How does the factory ensure the quality and performance of the canola oil?

The factory ensures the quality and performance of the canola oil by having technicians recreate production on a small scale in the lab.

What is the shelf life of canola oil once it's opened?

Once opened, canola oil has a shelf life of about a year.

Outlines

00:00

🌻 Introduction to Canola Oil

Canola oil is a popular cooking oil derived from the seeds of the canola plant. North American farmers have been growing this crop for about 30 years. The plant blooms in summer with bright yellow flowers, and once the flowers die off, the seeds are harvested. Canola oil is known for being one of the healthiest cooking oils, with lower levels of saturated fat compared to olive, sunflower, and soybean oils. It is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol.

🚜 Cleaning and Processing Canola Seeds

When canola seeds arrive at the processing factory, they are mixed with foreign materials like plant debris. The first step is cleaning, where the seeds are passed through a vibrating sieve. Smaller seeds fall through the mesh, while foreign material remains on top and is collected for use as cattle feed. The seeds also pass by a magnet to remove any metal impurities that may have entered during transportation.

🏗️ Rolling and Crushing the Seeds

The cleaned seeds enter a roller mill where two steel rollers crush them into thin flakes. These flakes are then fed into a screw press that uses high pressure to extract around three-fourths of the oil from the seeds. This extracted oil is 42% of the total seed content. The remaining solid material, called canola cake, still holds some oil and moves to the next stage for further extraction.

🧪 Second Oil Extraction Using Solvents

In this step, the remaining oil is extracted from the canola cake using a chemical solvent in a 70-minute process. This removes almost all the remaining oil, leaving just a trace. The leftover cake is ground into a protein-rich meal, which is sold as animal feed. The extracted oil is then stored in large tanks, awaiting further refinement.

🧼 Refining the Extracted Oil

The oil enters the refining phase where it is first washed with sodium hydroxide for 20 minutes to remove impurities. High-speed spinning separates these impurities, which are later sold to soap manufacturers. The cleaned oil is clearer but still cloudy due to natural waxes. To remove them, the oil is cooled to 5°C, causing the waxes to thicken and be filtered out. These waxes are used in vegetable shortening production.

🧑‍🔬 Quality Control and Final Refinement

Technicians in the factory lab simulate the production process on a small scale to ensure performance and quality. The refined oil undergoes further processes like bleaching to lighten its color and steam injection heating to remove the odor. The oil is now fully refined and ready for bottling.

🏷️ Bottling and Packaging

During bottling, machines turn plastic bottles upside down and blow pressurized air to remove any dust or dirt. If a bottle has a leak, it is automatically ejected. The factory’s machines fill 22,000 bottles per hour. Labels are glued onto the bottles, which then spin to wrap the labels around. Robots group the bottles into sets of 12 and place them in shipping boxes. The oil, once opened, has a shelf life of about a year.

Keywords

💡Canola oil

Canola oil is a type of cooking oil derived from the seeds of the canola plant. It is highlighted in the video as one of the healthiest cooking oils due to its low saturated fat content and high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats, which are known to lower cholesterol. This oil undergoes multiple refining processes to be ready for consumer use.

💡Saturated fat

Saturated fat is a type of fat found in various oils and foods that can raise cholesterol levels, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease. In the video, canola oil is noted for having a low saturated fat content (only 7%), making it healthier than other commonly used oils like sunflower, soybean, and olive oils.

💡Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that offer numerous health benefits, particularly for heart health. They are present in high quantities in canola oil, which is presented in the video as a major advantage over other cooking oils. These fats help reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol.

💡Monounsaturated fat

Monounsaturated fat is a healthy type of fat found in various foods and oils, including canola oil. In the video, this fat is highlighted as beneficial for lowering cholesterol levels, contributing to canola oil's reputation as a heart-healthy option.

💡Roller Mill

A Roller Mill is a piece of machinery used in the initial stage of processing canola seeds. In the video, the Roller Mill crushes the seeds into thin flakes, which are later used for oil extraction. This mechanical process plays a crucial role in separating oil from the seeds.

💡Screw press

The screw press is a machine used in the oil extraction process. In the video, it squeezes the crushed canola seed flakes to extract around three-quarters of the oil. The remaining oil is extracted in a secondary process, but the screw press is vital for the first round of extraction.

💡Canola cake

Canola cake refers to the solid byproduct left after most of the oil has been extracted from the canola seeds using the screw press. In the video, the cake is further processed and eventually sold as protein-rich animal feed, highlighting the complete utilization of the seed.

💡Solvent extraction

Solvent extraction is a chemical process used to remove the remaining oil from canola cake. In the video, this method involves a 70-minute wash with a solvent that removes almost all of the residual oil, ensuring maximum yield from the seeds.

💡Refining phase

The refining phase refers to the steps taken to purify the extracted canola oil. In the video, this process includes washing with sodium hydroxide, filtering out waxes, bleaching, and steam treatment to remove impurities, color, and odor, making the oil suitable for consumer use.

💡Wax filtration

Wax filtration is a step in the refining process where natural waxes in canola oil are removed. In the video, the oil is cooled to 5°C to thicken the waxes, which are then filtered out. These waxes are not discarded but are repurposed to make vegetable shortening, emphasizing the efficiency of the production process.

Highlights

Canola oil is derived from the seeds of the canola plant, which North American farmers have been growing for about 30 years.

Canola oil is one of the healthiest cooking oils, with the lowest level of saturated fat compared to olive, sunflower, and soybean oils.

It contains more omega-3 fatty acids and is high in monounsaturated fat, which helps lower cholesterol.

The first step in the oil processing is cleaning the canola seeds using a vibrating sieve to remove foreign material.

After cleaning, the seeds pass by a magnet to remove any metal that may have fallen in during the journey from the field to the factory.

The seeds are crushed into thin flakes using a Roller Mill before being fed into a screw press to extract the oil.

42% of the canola seed is oil, and the screw press extracts nearly 75% of it.

The remaining pressed flakes, called canola cake, undergo a second extraction using a solvent, which removes nearly all the remaining oil.

The factory grinds the canola cake into protein-rich meal, which is sold as animal feed.

The extracted oil undergoes a refining process, starting with a 20-minute wash using sodium hydroxide to remove natural impurities.

The oil is spun at high speeds during the wash, using centrifugal force to separate impurities, which are sold to soap manufacturers.

To remove natural waxes that make the oil cloudy, the oil is cooled to 5°C, allowing the waxes to be filtered out and used for vegetable shortening.

After further washing, bleaching, and steam injection, the canola oil is refined, deodorized, and ready for bottling.

The bottling process involves injecting filtered, pressurized air into upside-down bottles to remove dust and dirt before filling.

Each bottling machine fills 22,000 bottles per hour, and labeling machines work at the same speed to apply labels accurately.

Transcripts

canola oil is a commonly used type of

cooking oil it's derived from the seed

of the canola plant which North American

farmers have been growing for about 30

years the plant blooms in the summer

producing bright yellow flowers Farmers

harvest the seeds from pods which form

after those flowers die

off canola oil is one of the healthiest

cooking oils compared to Olive sunflower

and soybean oils it has the lowest level

of saturated fat

[Music]

7% it also contains more healthy omega-3

fatty acids and is high in

monounsaturated fat which lowers

cholesterol when the canola seed arrives

at the processing Factory it contains

foreign material mostly plant pieces so

the first step is to clean the seed in a

vibrating C the seeds smaller than the

openings in the the CV's mesh fall

through to a conveyor

below the foreign material remains on

top a conveyor moves it to a storage bin

where it's collected for sale as cattle

feed the seeds pass by a magnet it

removes any metal that may have fallen

in during the journey from field to

factory

[Music]

next the seeds enter a Roller Mill they

pass between two steel rollers which

crush them into thin

[Music]

Flakes a conveyor then feeds the flakes

into a screw press it has a large

revolving screw-shaped shaft enclosed

within a slotted cage as the shaft turns

its threads squeeze the Flakes with high

pressure forcing out the oil which then

drains out through the slots 42% of

canola seed is oil this screw press

extracts nearly 3/4 of that the

remainder is still trapped in the

Pressed flakes now referred to as canola

cake the cake exits the other end of the

press and moves on to a second

[Music]

extraction this one a 70-minute wash

with a solvent this chemical extraction

process removes all but a trace of

oil the factory then grinds the cake

into protein Rich Meal which it cells as

animal feed the extracted oil stored in

large tanks now enters the refining

phase first they wash the oil for 20

minutes with sodium hydroxide during

this wash cycle they spin the oil at

high speed so that the centrifugal force

separates the natural impurities which

the factory later sells to soap

manufacturers after this cleaning

process the canola oil is visibly

clearer however it still contains

natural waxes which make it look

cloudy so the next step is to cool the

oil to 5°

C this thickens those waxes so they can

be filtered out the waxes don't go to

waste either the factory uses them to

produce vegetable

shortening in the Factory's lab

technicians recreate production on a

small small scale to ensure performance

and quality meanwhile back in the

factory after washing and filtering the

oil they bleach it to lighten the color

then use a steam injection heating

process to remove the canola odor the

oil is now fully refined and ready for

bottling the equipment First turns the

plastic bottles upside down and injects

filtered pressurized air to blow out any

dust or dirt inside

then it turns the bottle's right side up

again to position for filling just

before a nozzle starts filling it

applies a vacuum if there's no suction

indicating a leak in the bottle the

machine automatically ejects that bottle

from the

line each bottling machine in the

factory fills 22,000 bottles per hour

the labeling machines work at the same

speed they spread glue on the back of

each label then apply the label's edge

to the bottle

the bottle spins wrapping the rest of

the label around

itself as the bottles come off the

labeler a robot separates them into

groups of 12 then it picks up and

deposits each dozen in a shipping

box from field to factory to your pantry

where once opened canola oil has a shelf

life of about a year

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