Quality differences between pre-pressed and solvent extracted rapeseed oil

Most seed oils are obtained by pre-pressing the crushed seeds followed by solvent extraction of oil from the press cake. The prepressed oil will contain no solvent residues, and is moreover expected to contain more nutritionally valuable compounds, which can in turn enhance the oxidative stability of the oil. However, reports on differences between extracted and pressed oils are scarce. Therefore, in this study, for a case study on rapeseed oil, the composition and quality were systematically compared between prepressed and solvent extracted oil. In the extracted oil, solvent residues and a clear sensory difference were detected, which disappeared almost completely during refining. The crude oils had a high content in free fatty acids and in primary and secondary oxidation products, which were higher in the extracted than in the pressed oil. However, surprisingly, also the content of minor compounds was slightly higher in the extracted oil than in the pressed oil. This can be explained by a selective extraction of those compounds into the solvent. During refining, a difference between pressed and extracted oils still existed but was less pronounced. The slight difference in antioxidants content might explain the higher oxidative stability of extracted over pressed oils. Practical applications: Traditionally, high yields of vegetable oils are obtained by pre-pressing the seeds, followed by solvent extraction of the residual oil from the press cake. The solvent extraction leads to higher oil yields, but is expected to affect the composition and quality of the oil, and has moreover negative environmental impacts. In this study, the solvent extracted oil contained slightly higher levels of tocopherols and phytosterols, and had slightly higher oxidative stability, which are desirable quality aspects. In contrast, the solvent extracted oil contained also higher levels of undesirable phospholipids, as well as solvent residues, which were, however, removed during degumming and deodorization, respectively. These results suggest that the final quality of refined pre-pressed and solvent extracted oils is comparable from nutritional and safety point of view. A choice for pressing instead of solvent extraction will, therefore, rather be driven by sustainability concerns than by nutritional aspects.