A traditional old method of oil making is gaining back its popularity and the reason is simple – Health. All around the world, people are becoming aware of refined & processed foods poisoning our health and wellbeing.

Cold-pressed oils are extracted from oilseeds like sunflower, mustard, coconut, sesame seed or almonds without applying heat. If heat is applied, the flavor and the nutritional quality gets degraded. The cold press method involves crushing the seeds or nuts and forcing out the oil under low temperatures.

Process of manufacturing cold-pressed oils

Wood-pressed or cold-pressed oils are extracted using traditional mortar pestle like device called ‘Kachi Ghani’. The grinding head of the machine, called Ghani, is made of wood with some of its own health benefits. The wooden ghani applies slow and even pressure on seeds, without any heat or chemical. The pressure gradually crushes the seeds to release oil. The oil extracted from Kachi Ghani is allowed to sit to settle any seed residues. Oil is then packaged without any additives or processing.

Recently, extraction machines have replaced ghanis that use excessive heat thereby generating high quantities of oil. Oils generated under high temperatures lose their quality and nutritional value. Cold-pressed oils are of higher quality because the temperature during the processing does not rise to a level that produces adverse effects on the ingredients. During the pressing process, temperatures usually remain approx. 40 degrees and therefore this method is also referred to as cold pressed. Oils extracted under low temperatures retain their authentic flavour, aroma, and nutrients.