Rice Science, 2012, 19(1): 7578

Copyright 2012, China National Rice Research Institute

Published by Elsevier BV. All rights reserved

Rice Bran Oil Extraction by Screw Press Method: Optimum Operating

Settings, Oil Extraction Level and Press Cake Appearance
Supakit SAYASOONTHORN1, Sudsaisin KAEWRUENG1, Pannatorn PATHARASATHAPORNKUL2
(1Department of Farm Mechanics, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngam Wong Wan Rd., Chatuchak Bangkok 10900,
Thailand; 2Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, 39
Muh 1, Rangsit-Nakhonnayok Rd., Klong Hok, Thanyaburi Pathum Thani 12110, Thailand)
Abstract: The appearance of rice bran cake or discharge from a screw press corresponds to the level of oil produced in the
extraction process. The relationships between operating settings, oil extraction level and cake appearance were studied. Cake
characteristics reliably indicate the expected oil recovery extraction level. These conclusions applyed to both Chainat 1 rice bran
and parboiled rice bran. Variables were the speed of the screw press (set at five levels from 8.5 to 19.8 r/min) and corresponding
clearance distances between the screw and barrel (set between 1.0 and 1.9 cm). Results showed that the maximum levels of
extraction were 4.17% for the rice bran and 8.20% for the parboiled rice bran. At the maximum extraction level, the apparatus
continuously discharged cake that were hard, crispy, flaky, shiny and polished on one side but dull and coarse on the other.
Key words: rice bran; screw press; press cake

The milling of rice bran, the cuticle between the paddy husk
and grain, produces either rice bran (RB) or parboiled rice bran
(PB), depending on whether the grain is milled raw or had
previously been soaked in hot water, steam-treated and dried.
Rice bran is a rich source of oil, protein, fiber and life-essential
nutrients (Heinemann et al, 2005; Amarasinghe et al, 2009).
Bran accounts for 5%8% of the weight of brown rice milled
(Houston, 1972; Sarmento et al, 2006). The oil content of
parboiled rice bran varies from 22% to 28% depending on the
paddy variety (Sivala et al, 1991). The two most common
methods for separating oils from raw materials are extraction
and pressing (Proctor and Bowen, 1996). Mechanical pressing
is the most popular method worldwide for separating oil from
vegetable oilseeds (Mrema and McNulty, 1985; Singh and
Bargale, 2000) using either of two pressing methods, hydraulic
or screw. The mechanical screw press, used for the extraction
of oil from oilseeds (Omobuwajo et al, 1999), also called an
expeller, is popular because of its simple and sturdy design. It
is moreover easily maintained, operable by semi-skilled
workers. It adapts quickly for processing different oilseeds and
utilizes a continuous expulsion process.
Even though solvent extraction is more efficient than the
mechanical press (Amarasinghe and Gangodavilage, 2004; Ghosh,
2007), the latter is favored for its simplicity and safety (Singh
and Bargale, 2000). Nonetheless, it displays a significant
shortcoming: relative inefficiency, leaving 8%14% of the
available oil in the cake (Srikantha, 1980). Prior investigations
of this shortcoming have not produced any conclusive results.
Previous studies focused on the press design (Singh and
Bargale, 2000; Oyinlola et al, 2004) and the absence in visual
inspection of the rice bran press cake to identify the optimum
degree of extraction.
This study therefore aims to investigate the press cake
Received: 6 April 2011; Accepted: 16 May 2011
Corresponding author: Supakit SAYASOONTHORN (agrspks@ku.ac.th)

characteristics of rice bran oil expression for on-farm or

community enterprise in the hope of improving income and
employment in rural areas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study utilized RB and PB from long-grain rice (Chainat
1) milled in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand. Rice bran with an
initial 6% moisture content was selected and the initial oil was
evaluated.
A screw press manufactured in Thailand was used in the
tests as shown in Fig. 1. Its main components are: (a) driving
motor (1 hp, 220 V); (b) maddock screw type; (c) barrel
(longitudinal barrel with 16 bar cage inside upon which the
screw rotates); (d) feed hopper with adjustable speed feed
motor; (e) power transmission and gear reduction unit; and (f)
frame. The screw press acts by the effect of its rotation within
the stationary cylindrical barrel. As the screw rotates towards
the discharge end of the barrel, the bran is conveyed under
pressure along and to the end of the barrel. The extracted oil
drains through perforations in the barrels bottom while the
pressed rice cake is discharged through the circular aperture
between the tapered end of the screw and the barrel.
The two most important parameters for oil extraction in this
type of machine are the screw speed and the compression
clearance as measured by the scale fixed on the shaft as shown
on Fig. 2. For this study, the screw press was configured to run
at speeds of 8.5, 11.3, 14.1, 16.9 and 19.8 r/min by adjusting
the pulley diameter at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 inches and at the
compression clearance of 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7 and 1.9 cm.
Adjustment was performed using the wedge mounted on the
screw shaft, with the compression clearance at 1.0 cm being the
tightest position.
The rice bran was evaluated for oil extractability via the
Soxhlet extraction method. The pressed crude oil was stored for
48 h at room temperature and filtered using only gravity

Rice Science, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2012

76

d
b

c
e
a
f
Fig. 2. Control of screw and barrel clearance by a scale mounted
on the screw shaft.

The average initial oil content of the RB and PB were

18.47% and 21.85%, respectively. Tables 1 and 2 summarize
the extraction results of raw rice bran oil (RBO) and parboiled
rice bran oil (PBO) under the tested conditions. A maximum
RBO oil extraction rate of 4.17% was achieved at 1.7 cm
clearance and 8.5 r/min, while 8.20% was achieved at 1.3 cm
clearance and 8.5 r/min for PBO. More oil was obtained from
the PB than from RB under identical conditions, because
during parboiling, the fat and water-soluble nutrients migrated
from the rice kernel to the bran (Subrahmanyan et al, 1938;
Raghavenor Rao et al, 1965; Anuradha et al, 1980).

The press could not extract oil at 1.0, 1.3 and 1.5 cm
clearances and 8.5 r/min rotation speed due to clogging of the
press cake inside the bar cage and screw (Fig. 3-A and B).
Screw speed was also observed to affect the oil extraction level.
For both bran types, oil recovery rate increased when screw
speed was decreased to 8.5 r/min from 19.8 r/min. A screw
speed of 8.5 r/min was thus found optimal for oil extraction.
Results showed that the effect of the clearance between the
screw and the barrel was significant at 95% of the confidence
level, likely because of the time and the screws compressing
the rice bran. The more tightly the clearance is set, the more
slowly the rice bran press cake moves through the exit aperture.
The longer the rice bran remains under compression, the more
oil is delivered. However, at 1 cm clearance, the screw was too
tight and the oil recovered was reduced as a result of the cakes
clogging between the bar cage (Fig. 3-A) and the screw (Fig. 3B). Conversely, a greater clearance between the screw and
barrel led to lesser oil recovery presumably due to the rice
brans short exposure to compression. The low screw speed
(8.5 r/min) showed the highest oil recovery rate for a particular
clearance, presumably because its force was applied during a
longer extraction time.
Fig. 4 showed press cake for the corresponding oil recovery
rate categories as fully described in Table 3. The rice bran press

Table 1. Yield of rice bran oil (RBO) at various extraction

conditions.

Table 2. Yield of parboiled rice bran oil (PBO) at various

extraction conditions.

Oil recovery rate (%)

Clearance (cm)
Average DMRT
1.0 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9
8.5
4.17 3.71
3.94
e
11.3
2.44 3.02 2.65 1.30 0.97
2.08
d
14.1
1.60 1.80 1.35 1.09 0.79
1.32
c
16.9
1.00 1.32 0.93 0.82 0.44
0.90
b
19.8
0.78 0.93 0.87 0.49 0.25
0.66
a
Average
1.16 1.41 1.16 1.57 1.23
DMRT
a
c
a
d
b
The means in rows and columns followed by different letters are
significantly different at 5% level of probability.

Oil recovery rate (%)

Clearance (cm)
Average DMRT
1.0 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.9
8.5
6.00 8.20 7.30 4.50 4.02
6.00
e
11.3
5.00 7.10 6.20 4.20 3.30
5.16
d
14.1
5.00 6.60 6.10 3.84 3.00
4.91
c
16.9
4.80 6.50 6.10 3.30 2.70
4.68
b
19.8
3.78 6.50 6.00 3.00 2.10
4.28
a
Average
4.92 6.98 6.34 3.77 3.02
DMRT
c
e
d
b
a
The means in rows and columns followed by different letters are
significantly different at 5% level of probability.

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of a screw press.

membrane separation without any additional pressure. The

filtered oil was then centrifuged (Beckman Coulter, model
Allegra X-12R) at 10 000 r/min for 30 min to separate the
residue at the bottom. Oil recovery rate was calculated with the
following equation:
Oil recovery rate (%) = WRice bran oil / WRice bran 100;
Where WRice bran oil is the weight of the rice bran oil (g) and
WRice bran is the weight of the rice bran (g).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Screw press speed

(r/min)

Screw press speed

(r/min)

Supakit SAYASOONTHORN, et al. Rice Bran Oil Extraction by Screw Press Method

77

Fig. 3. Different forms of rice bran press cake.

A, Consolidated cake clogging inside a bar cage; B, Consolidated cake clogging at the screw press; C, Continuous press cake discharges.

Fig. 4. Rice bran (AC) and parboiled rice bran (DF) press cake characteristics at various conditions.
AC, Rice bran press cake at the oil recovery rates of 0%1%, 1%2%, and more than 3%, respectively. DF, Parboiled rice bran press cake at
the oil recovery rates of 2%4%, 4%6%, and more than 6%, respectively.

Table 3. Physical characteristics of rice bran (RB) and parboiled rice bran (PB) press cake.
Rice bran Oil recovery
type
Rate (%)
RB

01
12
3

PB

24
46
6

Texture
Soft, crumbles on touch, flat small pieces, oil visibly embedded in press cake
Soft, flat small flakes larger than 0%1%, oily with embedded press cake
Hard and crispy, dry, large, slightly shiny flakes polished on one side and dull
and coarse on the other side
Soft, small pieces, oily with embedded press cake
Crispy, small, shiny flakes polished on one side and dull and coarse on the other side
Hard and very crispy, dry, large, shiny flakes polished on one side and dull and
coarse on the other side

cake characteristics listed in Table 3 can be used as a reliable

indicator of the oil extraction level. The screw press user can
certainly identify the maximum extraction point with reasonable
accuracy because the rice bran press cake properties are fairly
constant. In general, as the oil extraction level increases toward
its maximum, the rice bran press cake becomes characterized
by its texture and discharge pattern. These results agree with
the findings of a previous study (Sivakumaran and Goodrum,
1988). Thus, a user of this screw press technology can estimate
the level of oil extraction efficiency from a visual inspection of
the output bran cake. In practice, therefore, they should observe
the rice cake output and adjust the operating settings to achieve
the desired level of oil extraction.

Discharge
Discharged in discontinuous pieces
Discharged in discontinuous flakes
Continuous discharge from machine
(Fig. 3-C)
Discharged in discontinuous pieces
Continuous discharge from machine
Continuous discharge from machine

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors acknowledge the Thailand Research Fund (TRF)
for their financial support.

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