Sunflower oil cake (OK-Net Ecofeed Practice Abstract)

Summary

Oil presses are used for the mechanical extraction of oil from oilseed crops. The procedure to obtain oil cake is as follows:
• The seeds are delivered to the press where they are crushed and squeezed.
• Under pressure, the oil leaks through the press holes and gathers into the oil repository underneath the press.
• The oil is filtered to remove any solids, which are then cleaned of unwanted substances.
• Together with the oil, an oil-rich press cake is produced.
• After the oil cake has been removed from the press, it is cooled down. It can be stored for up to 3 months.
• This procedure is a current processing technique that produces a good quality oil cake (see Table 1).
In terms of feeding, sunflower oil cake plays an important role in monogastric diets due to its high methionine content, similar to soy cake. It has a high fiber content; the well-structured raw fibre has a positive dietary effect on pigs. Its use in the finishing phase has to be limited because of the relatively high proportion of polyphenolic acids (PUFA), which can lead to an undesirable soft fat consistency in the carcass if the dosage is too high.