Corn oil facts for kids

Corn oil (also called maize oil in some places) is a type of oil that comes from the germ of corn. The germ is the small part of the corn kernel that can grow into a new plant.

Corn oil is mostly used for cooking. It's great for frying because it has a high smoke point. This means it can get very hot before it starts to smoke and burn. It's also an important part of some margarines. Usually, corn oil costs less than many other types of vegetable oils.

Besides cooking, corn oil has many other uses. It can be used to make biodiesel, which is a fuel. It's also found in things like soap, paint, inks, and even some insecticides. Sometimes, it helps carry medicines in pharmaceutical products.

How Corn Oil is Made

Most corn oil is made using a special process. First, the oil is squeezed out of the corn germ. This is called expeller-pressing. After that, a special liquid, like hexane, is used to get even more oil out. This liquid is then removed from the oil and can be used again.

Once the oil is extracted, it goes through a cleaning process called refining. This removes things like sticky substances and helps make the oil less acidic. It also makes the oil clearer by removing its color. Finally, any waxes are taken out, and the oil is deodorized, which means removing any unwanted smells. This is done by heating the oil with steam at very high temperatures, around 232 to 260 °C (450 to 500 °F).

Some companies make a special kind of corn oil that is only squeezed out and not treated with chemicals. This oil is usually more expensive because it's harder to get as much oil this way.

	Country	Production, 2018 (tonnes)
1	United States	1,707,600
2	China	483,700
3	Brazil	145,548
4	South Africa	83,700
5	Japan	82,503
6	Italy	69,300
7	France	67,900
8	Belgium	64,700
9	Canada	62,300
10	Turkey	53,000
11	Argentina	46,800
Source : FAOSTAT

Images for kids

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  Corn oil, five liters

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  Plastic jugs in cardboard boxes, 15 kg each

See also

In Spanish: Aceite de maíz para niños