ABSTRACT

In recent years the interest in cold pressed oils has increased. In the Polish market, b e sid e s a wide assortment of imported products, Polish oils, mainly rapeseed oil, are also ever more frequently available. Cold pressed oils are used in food and pharmaceutical industry and also in the production of cosmetics. The production of cold pressed oils is simple and the investments for it are low. A limitation of the use of this method is low efficiency of the process (6-15% of oil remains in the pressed residues). For obtaining of proper oil it is indispensable to use ripe, clean, non-damaged and correctly stored seeds. Moreover, the conditions and parameters of the production and storage are important, especially the temperature and duration of pressing. The quality of oil is reduced at higher temperatures. At the temperatures below 40°C the process yields oil of good quality permitted for consumption. The quality and the durability of the obtained oil depend on many factors, among them on the composition of fatty acids, the conditions of production and storage, on the presence of prooxidants and antioxidants. The analogue of the Polish cold pressed oil may be „cold pressed oil” and „virgin oil” the definitions and properties of which were proposed at the 21s Session of the Committees for Codex Alimentarius for Fats and Oils of the FAO/WHO (London, 1993).