What are the essential equipment for edible oil production?

The number and configuration of equipment used to produce edible oil vary depending on the output and oil quality required. The equipment required for processing edible oil should be determined according to the actual situation. For example, our common oil press has simple equipment requirements. A cooker, oil press, and air pressure filter can be used to produce edible oil from peanuts, rapeseed, sesame, and sunflower seeds. The equipment investment is small, the site requirements are not high, the operation is simple, and the income is quick. It is a project chosen by many investors who start their own business in rural areas.

Oil plants need more than just this equipment. The processing of oilseed plants into edible oil needs to go through three stages: raw material pretreatment, oil extraction and processing, and crude oil refining. Oil plant production is large, and raw material pretreatment and other work all rely on manpower, which is not only costly but also difficult to realize. Therefore, it is necessary to equip raw material pretreatment equipment. Commonly used equipment includes vibrating sieves, de-stoning machines, crushers, embryo rolling machines, steam frying pots, and other equipment.

In terms of oil extraction equipment, the commonly used crude oil extraction methods are pressing and solvent extraction. Solvent extraction requires a larger investment and is suitable for large-scale projects above 30 tons; oil presses can be adjusted according to the investment budget and are suitable for small and medium-sized edible oil processing plants. Solvent extraction is highly efficient, has a large output, produces good quality cake after extraction, saves labor costs, and has good environmental conditions, but the quality of the oil is slightly lower and must be refined before consumption. The crude oil produced by pressing is of high quality and retains the natural nutritional flavor of the oil, but the residual oil rate is higher than that of solvent extraction equipment, and the production cost is higher. Oil factories can decide which equipment to use based on the production budget and other factors.

Oil factories usually need to create their own brand when processing edible oil, so they have requirements for the quality grade of edible oil. The edible oil produced must meet national standards before it can be sold. The crude oil extracted from the oil press contains various impurities, such as cake flour, gelatinous impurities, and free fatty acids. The presence of these impurities not only affects the color and flavor of the oil but also causes the rancidity of the oil, affecting food safety. Therefore, oil factories need to configure a set of refining equipment to remove impurities in fats and oils to ensure that the quality of fats and oils meets edible oil standards.

To summarize, oil factories need very little equipment: oil presses, cookers, and oil filters can suffice. If it is an oil factory, besides the oil press, it also needs pretreatment equipment, oil pressing equipment, and oil refining equipment. The refined edible oil can be sent to the filling production line for canning, labeling, packaging, and sealing after passing inspection, and then it can be sent to the market for sale.