...or squeze in our case. At Oils of Aloha, we practice minimal refining of our kukui and macadamia oils. This means all of our oils are expeller pressed(natural extraction without chemical solvents) from their kernels to maintain optimum quality and purity. The kernels are fed into the expeller press through a feed tube. The result of the pressure extraction of the oil is material called press cake. While continuous friction and pressure cause the temperature to rise and the oil to seep out through a small fibrous mesh screen. What remains is unrefined oil. At this point the oil is transported from out production facility to our factory where it is refined for either cosmetic or culinary use. We'll cover this interesting process at another time.
So what's the other side of the story? One alternative to expeller pressing is solvent extraction that uses harsh chemicals to draw out the oil. First, the oil is separated from nuts and seeds with a kind of petroleum solvent and then it's boiled to drive off the toxins from the petroleum. It is then usually refined, bleached and deodorized in heats of over 400ยบ F reducing the amounts of many key vitamins and minerals. What's left behind is oil with a lack of flavor, nutrients and scent, but it will have a long shelf life, uniform color and texture.
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