What is oil meal?

Oil meal or oilseed meal, also called oilcake, is the solid residue remaining after vegetable oil has been extracted from oil-rich plant material. Depending on the oil extraction method, the remaining solid material can be in the form of flakes or of powder or ground pellets.

Commonly available oil meals or oilcakes for livestock feeds include soybean oil meal, palm kernel oil meal, coconut oil meal, groundnut oil meal and cottonseed oil meal.

There are essentially three stages to the oil extraction process:

1) Preparing seeds for crushing involves hulling, cracking or flaking to disrupt oil-bearing cells and facilitate penetration of the solvent and heat, which in turn allows for effective oil release.

2) Applying suitable pressure in expellers or the use of solvents helps to separate the oil from the plant materials. For the production of oilcake or oil meal, the mechanical press method is commonly used, involving the use of expeller machines.

3) Conditioning the oilcake or meal to obtain the proper temperature, moisture content, consistency and structure in order to ensure its nutritional quality, palatability and shelf life while in storage.