The book serves as a primary source of information on all cultivated oilseeds and major tree-borne and minor oilseeds grown globally. It provides a detailed account of the composition, characteristics, properties, and utility of different oilseeds and their constituents, including oil, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals, in both food and non-food sectors, including medicine.
Additionally, the book covers post-harvest technology and processing of oilseeds to produce high-quality products such as vegetable oil and oilcakes. It discusses various processing methods, including ghani, expeller, extrusion, solvent, and SC-CO2 extraction, as well as oil refining. The book also presents information on the nutritional quality of oils, oilcakes, oleo-chemicals, and edible products derived from groundnut, soybean, sesame, sunflower, Niger, and coconut.
The book further addresses the issue of anti-nutrients, which can interfere with the digestion process and negatively impact human and animal health. It provides detailed information on methods for reducing or removing anti-nutrients, such as phenolics, protease inhibitors, ricin, glucosinolates, and aflatoxins.
Quality evaluation is crucial for understanding and utilizing any commodity, and the book provides methods for analyzing oil, protein, sugars, minerals, vitamins, and anti-nutrients. This comprehensive coverage of all aspects of oilseeds and their quality makes the book highly useful for students, researchers, producers, processors, and policy planners.