ICOA Newsletter – September 12, 2022
By: Haresh Vyas, Royal Castor Products Ltd. Castor scene: The major castor growing region of Gujarat and Rajasthan have been receiving insistent rains since July
September 12, 2022
International Castor Oil Association
Committed to growing, processing, trading, marketing and/or consuming Castor Oil
Castor News
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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.