Among commercial cereals, corn is the one which comparatively contains higher oil content because of its relatively large germ. Essentially, corn is not recognized as an oilseed because it contains between 3% and 5% of lipids in the kernel.
What is corn germ oil?
Most of the commercial corn oil is extracted from the germ and this is commonly known as ¡°corn germ oil.¡± The germ from wet-milling operations (see Chapter 18) is recovered with up to 50% oil, which must be quickly processed because of its low microbiological and chemical stability.
What is solvent extraction of corn germ?
Solvent extraction of corn germ is the process of greater industrial use because it allows the effective extraction of practically all the corn oil leaving a defatted germ meal with less than 1% residual oil.
How much germ is found in a corn kernel?
However, the large industrial dry- and wet-milling operations (see Chapters 15 and 18Chapter 15Chapter 18) generate large amounts of germ which is commonly channeled to the oil crushing or animal feedstock industries. The germ represents between 9% and 11% of the kernel weight and contains about 80% of the lipids found in the whole kernel.