ICOA Newsletter – 19 April 2023
By: Priyam Patel, N.K. Proteins Pvt. Ltd. Castor Outlooks 2023 vs 2022 The total castor seed cultivation in India for the year 2022-23 is estimated
April 19, 2023
International Castor Oil Association
Committed to growing, processing, trading, marketing and/or consuming Castor Oil
Castor News
ICOA Newsletter – 24 March 2023
By: Mr. Takuya Katayama, Itoh Oil Chemicals Co., Ltd. The Japanese economy is on a gradual recovery trend with the rebound of domestic demand from
March 24, 2023
THE SOLVENT EXTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (SEA) JOINS FORCES WITH THE SUSTAINABLE CASTOR ASSOCIATION
SEA-Joins-forces-with-Sustainable-Castor-Association-03
March 21, 2023
About ICOA
The International Castor Oil Association (ICOA) is an organization whose members are involved in growing, processing, trading, marketing and/or consuming Castor Oil. The main aspirations of the ICOA are the improvement in the agronomic conditions of castor beans, the development of new applications for castor oil and its derivatives and the dissemination of information to its members and the industries they serve.
About Castor
Castor can be grown on almost all types of well drained soils. It adapts well to arid and semi-arid climate, but cold & temperate regions are not suitable for profitable castor cultivation. Castor is grown in countries such as India, Brazil and China. Since the 1980’s, India commands the leading market share of over 88%. China has around 6% share followed by Brazil at 3%.
Manufacturing
Castor oil is extracted either by hot pressing or cold pressing to extract the initial oil content. The remaining oil content is extracted using a solvent extraction technique typically involving n-hexane as the solvent. The oil is refined and packed for dispatch in liquid form. The leftover extracted solid is known as de-oiled cake.
Toxicity
Castor beans, contain a toxic enzyme called ricin. However, the heating process that castor oil undergoes deactivates it, allowing the oil to be used safely. Castor oil has a number of medicinal, industrial and pharmaceutical uses. Today, castor oil remains a popular natural treatment for common conditions like constipation and skin ailments and is commonly used in natural beauty products.
ICOA Initiatives
Learn about our recent initiatives including:
- ICOA Specifications for castor oil and derivatives
- Detoxification of Castor Cake
- Sustainable Castor Farming
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Upcoming Events
2023 Annual General Meeting
Porto, Portugal
Further details to follow in the coming months.