Production of cold pressed oils

The machine

The extraction machine (chekku/ghani) is essentially a grinder.

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To operate at room temperature and prevent heating, the grinding parts of this machine is made of special wood ensuring the machine does not heat

Setting Rotational speeds

The rotational speed of the grinder is below 15 rpm keeping extraction at room temperature
At slow rotational speeds, oil is expelled in about 30 minutes of grinding

Cleaning and drying

Carefully selected seeds are first machine cleaned and then hand cleaned to remove any dirt and bad / fungal seeds.
The fresh seeds are then dried to keep moisture content  between 10% and 12% the optimal moisture for extraction.
Seeds are again slow dried in natural sunlight before being used for extration

Extraction

The extraction starts with initial feeding of seeds into the machine under slow grinding.
Depending on the moisture content of the seeds, in about 15 to 20 minutes oil is expelled out from seeds. 
Jaggery is added for Sesame to help bind the cake and aid extration.

Collection

The extraction runs for about 40 minutes at which time the oil is periodically collected.
Once the seeds become cake at about 40 minutes, the collected oil is filtered with a sieve and stored in stainless steel collection drums.

Filter and Storage

The oil drums are kept in sunlight for a few hours to remove any inherent moisture that may spoil the quality of oil. 
If required, the oil is cloth filtered to remove sediments.
The oil is then securely stored until it is packed typically in about 15 days leaving time for settlement