
Oil extraction
Poppy seed oil is obtained from the seeds of Papaver somniferum by mechanical pressing. A distinction is made between cold and hot pressing. In both pressing methods, the poppy seed is first cleaned and dried, then added to a screw press.
A Florapower oil press can be used for cold and warm pressing of poppy seeds.
Cold pressing yields a higher-quality oil, suitable mainly for edible purposes, while hot pressing at 60-70˚C yields a somewhat inferior oil, used mainly for technical purposes and paint production [Bauer 1928, p. 207]. Another production option is that of extraction with supercritical CO2 (Bozan/Temelli 2003).
A possible problem was the blending of high-quality poppy seed oil with much cheaper sunflower oil. Such a blend was therefore almost impossible to detect using conventional methods, since the fatty acid compositions of these two oils are almost identical. A novel method, using SPME-GC-MS analysis to analyze the volatile components of the oil, makes it possible to detect even the smallest amounts of sunflower oil in poppy seed oil in an unambiguous manner [Krist et al. 2006 [3]].
Use of poppy seed oil for various areas
Natural power meets healing: discover the wonders of poppy seed oil in medicine and pharmacy!
As poppy seed oil has a mild odor and is very quickly absorbed by the skin, it is used to make liniments, ointments and emulsions [Hackbarth 1944, p. 120]. Another possible application today is in the field of chemotherapy: iodized poppy seed oil accumulates selectively after injection into the hepatic artery as microdroplets only in the tissue of hepatocellular carcinomas, where they then remain for three weeks and attack the tumor cells [Battacharya et al. 1994, Krist et al. 2005 – Higashi/Setoguchi 2000]. The iodine addition products of the fatty acid ethyl esters of poppy seed oil are used as X-ray contrast agents for sonography, lymphangiography and for imaging the paranasal sinuses [Choi et al. 1989, Krist et al. 2005 – Burger/Wachter 1993, 7th edition, p. 1045].
Poppy seed oil in cosmetics
Cosmetics use the hot-pressed screw press for soap production. This makes it very easy to produce hard soaps [Janystin 1978, p. 622; Hackbarth 1944, p. 120]. Poppy seed oil is very quickly absorbed by the skin, has a moisturizing effect and also increases the elasticity of the skin. It is therefore also an ingredient in skin care products such as anti-wrinkle creams, body lotions and balms and is therefore well suited for dry skin. Poppy seed oil is also used as a massage oil [Martindale 1993, p. 1404].
Poppy seed oil in the kitchen
Due to its interesting and aromatic taste, poppy seed oil, which is obtained by cold pressing, is used as a high-quality cooking oil. However, poppy seed oil should not be heated above 170˚C and is therefore only suitable for frying and baking to a limited extent. It is mainly used in cold dishes, to refine salads and cold dishes, raw vegetables, desserts and muesli. Because of its delicate nutty flavor, poppy seed oil is used to refine desserts such as poppy seed noodles, poppy seed cake and poppy seed tarts.
Poppy seed oil in painting
Poppy seed oil is also suitable as a base material for the production of paints due to its drying properties. However, poppy seed oil has the disadvantages of decomposition at high temperatures, re-softening and dissolution by chemical reagents. However, these disadvantages can be eliminated by using a so-called stand oil. This is produced by heating the poppy seed oil in a carbonic acid stream to 250-260˚C for 60 hours. Today, poppy seed oil and linseed oil are among the most commonly used oils for the production of artists’ paints.
Poppy seed oil in the industry
As poppy seed oil has very similar properties to linseed oil and is quickly absorbed, it is also used to care for wood and leather in the furniture industry.
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In addition to their own knowledge acquired through press trials, the following sources were used to create the article:
- Öle, natürlich kaltgepresst, Basiswissen & Rezepte, Marcus Hartmann, Hädecke, 2008
- Heilende Öle, Pflanzenöle als Nahrungs- und Heilmittel, Neue Erkenntnisse, Günter Albert Ulmer Verlag Tuningen
- Lexikon der pflanzlichen Fette und Öle, Krist, Buchbauer, Klausberger, SpringerWienNewYork, 2008
- www.wikipedia.de
- en.wikipedia.org
