Oilseeds Softening Machine

Oilseeds Softening Machine Introduction

The Oilseeds Softening machine is for adjusting the moisture and temperature of crushed oil seeds or small-size oil materials, to soften oil seeds and increase the plasticity of oilseed, especially for oil materials with low oil content & low moisture content. An oilseed softening machine is an important oil pretreatment equipment before flaking. Oil material softening equipment includes horizontal softening machine and vertical softening machine.

In order to meet the flaking requirement, the softening process is indispensable for soybeans with low oil content as well as rapeseed and cottonseed with less water content. For soybean, because of its low oil content, hard texture, low moisture content, and low temperature, the flaking section will produce many powders without softening. For rapeseed with low moisture (especially old rapeseed), it is difficult to meet the flaking requirements without softening.
However, softening of oilseeds with higher oil content should be carefully considered. For example, peanuts usually do not need softening; when the water content of newly harvested rape seeds is higher than 8%, they do not need softening either. Otherwise, oil material will stick to the surface of the roller of the flaking machine and cause the operation difficulty when flaking.

Technical Data of Horizontal Oil Material Softening Machine

Methods of Oil Materials Softening

There are two kinds of softening methods.
1. Heating and hydrating method, or called cooking. This method is suitable for oilseeds with high oil content, like sunflower seeds, peanut kernels, and tea seed kernels, whose texture is soft. During the softening process, we just need to heat ( adding very little direct steam) or these high oil-content materials can flake by flaking machines directly without softening.
2. Adding water and heating method. This method is suitable for oilseed with low oil content or low moisture content, like soybean. This softening method is also applied to processing high-oil-content oilseeds with high cellulose or hard shells, like flax, and canola.

What Kinds of Oil Materials Need Softening Processes Before Flaking?

The softened oilseeds should have proper plasticity and elasticity uniform inside and outside, which should meet the requirements of the flaking section.

1. Soybean

The oil content of soybean is low and the plasticity is poor, so it should be softened before flaking. The softening temperature should depend on the water content of the soybean

2. Cottonseed kernel

Because cottonseed kernels are with hulls, the internal and external softness is inconsistent, it should be softened first before flaking, in order to reduce the wear caused by hulls on the roller of the flaking machine.

3. Rapeseed

Rapeseed is a high oil content material, and its hull is hard. For rapeseed with a water content of less than 8%, especially old rapeseed, it should be softened before flaking.

Softening Requirements for Different Oil Materials

Not all oil materials need a softening process when producing oil, and the requirement is different in the softening process for different oil materials. Our engineers can help you to decide whether the softening machine is necessary or not based on your oil materials.
Various factors, such as harvesting time, water content, and pressing method, have a certain influence on the softening process. The following table shows the softening requirement for common oilseeds.