2 BULLETIN 1054, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



exceptions vegetable oils in the United States are at present obtained 

 from the various oleaginous materials by means of pressure. In the 

 case of cottonseed oil the hydraulic press is universally used, while 

 in the production of oil from corn germs the oil expeller has been 

 everywhere adopted. In European countries the extraction of vege- 

 table oils has been to a considerable extent by means of organic sol- 

 vents, and within the last decade this method has been receiving in- 

 creasing attention in this country. The success of this method, pro- 

 vided it is found acceptable from an economic standpoint, depends 

 in the case of edible oils largely on whether the oil produced thereby 

 can be freed from the solvent so thoroughly that its flavor will not 

 be affected. This method is finding some application in the produc- 

 tion of corn oil and is being considered both for extracting the oil 

 from the germs directly and for extracting the residual oil from the 

 so-called oil cake, or expeller cake. 



In the present paper comparison is made of the general characters 

 and quality of three types of corn oil which have been prepared from 

 the same general lot of material so as to make their source compara- 

 ble. The three types are as follows: (1) Oil produced by expellers 

 at the plant, (2) oil extracted with benzol from germs from the same 

 source, and (3) oil extracted with benzol from the oil cake obtained 

 from the first-mentioned process. These oils were neutralized, 

 bleached, and deodorized, their physical and chemical constants de- 

 termined, and their color, odor, and taste compared. Such a com- 

 parison should show whether there is a possibility of preparing corn 

 oil by benzol extraction that will be equal to that produced by the 

 expeller method. 



CHARACTER AND COMPOSITION OF CORN OIL. 



Like most vegetable oils which have acquired economic prominence, 

 corn oil has been the subject of much study and investigation. The 

 literature shows that such investigations have been mainly along 

 three distinct lines: (1) Its composition and physical and chemical 

 constants, (2) the methods of its production and its economic rela- 

 tionship to the manufacture of corn products in general, and (3) its 

 uses in the industries. In order to show briefly the extent and char- 

 acter of these investigations, a resume of the literature is herewith 

 given. 



REVIEW OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. 



The first investigation of corn oil seems to have been published in 

 1822 by Bizio (6). who describes the oil as a reddish yellow liquid 

 with a faint vanilla odor and balsamic taste, one constituent of which 

 resembles stearin. In 1832 Cartis (<§) called attention to the oil ob- 



