Cottonseed Oil
Cleaning
Cotton seeds are cleaned to remove dust, stones, leaves, and other impurities.
Dehulling (Decortication)
The outer hull is removed to separate the cottonseed kernels from the shell.
Cooking and Crushing
The kernels are cooked to soften them and then crushed/flaked to prepare them for oil extraction.
Oil Extraction (Crude Oil)
The prepared kernels are pressed in an expeller or extracted using a solvent to obtain crude cottonseed oil.
The remaining solid residue is called cottonseed meal (oil cake).