Frequently Asked Questions

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Oils obtained by mechanical procedures, without the application of heat, is the broad definition of Cold Pressed Oil. 

BeejMantra® Oils are extracted by European state-of-the-art technology at room temperature and processing temperature well below 49-degree Celsius. This  temperature of 49-degree Celsius is the maximum processing temperature prescribed by the Codex Alimentarius standards of Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) of the United Nations for defining Cold Pressed olive oil.

Comparing BeejMantra® oils to other oils in market would be “comparing apples and oranges.” BeejMantra® oils cannot be compared to industrially obtained hot pressed, crude, refined, bleached and deodorised oils for the following reasons:

1. The processes are completely different i.e. modern and state-of-the-art cold pressing technique of BeejMantra® v/s archaic refining technology extracting refined oil, that takes the manufacturing processes of oil extraction to around 240 degree Celsius. 

Comment: The industrial process of the refined oil renders a fluid devoid of any nutrients of the natural seed. In fact, such unnatural fluid could even be carcinogenic for human health. 

2. The cheaper oils use solvent extraction to increase their yield. The solvent that is used is usually Hexene, which is a by-product from the refineries extracting petrol and diesel from crude oil. All such “cheaper” oils in the market may contain 20% or more Hexene in the bottle.

Comment: This oil possibly contains petroleum fluids and therefore could be carcinogenic. 

3. Many “cheaper oil” manufacturers mix cheaper oils at industrial scale to reduce their costing.  Oils that are used for bringing the costing down may be Palmolein/Palm Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Argemone Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Soyabean Oil, etc. 

Comment: Consuming such blended oils could be injurious for human health.

4. Such oil manufacturers are buying oilseeds from non-organic farms may be laced with chemical fertilizers and pesticides and as such is passed down to the seeds and its oil. 

Comment: Consuming chemical fertilizers & pesticides is injurious to human health.

5. There are other cost cutting techniques like using cheap non-food grade storage, plastic, packaging and closures/caps.

Comment: In contrast, all BeejMantra® oils are stored in 304-grade stainless steel tanks that are USFDA approved. They are packed in glass bottles, lacquered cans or food-grade PET plastic bottles. The caps are also food-grade cork or food-grade German plastic caps with an inbuilt flow regulator. 

6. Some of the oils available in the market are priced at even below the cost of minimum support price of the oilseed needed as input to extract the oil. If you add up the other costs like packaging, retailers margin, transportation, variable, fixed & overhead cost and profit, the figures far exceed the cost of the basic oilseeds. So, it is possible that the manufacturer is mixing cheap and dangerous fluids to be able to offer that low price of his product to the consumer. 

Mechanically pressing the oilseeds only once and not twice is the definition of Extra-virgin process. Emulating the best natural olive oil extraction methods in Europe, BeejMantra® oils also uses this extra-virgin process as one of the extraction principles to ensure the best seed oil extracts obtained for human consumption. 

BeejMantra® Oils cannot be compared to industrial oils that are meant for country’s mass market consumption pattern and consumer price index considerations. 

While such industrial oils are cheaper, these oils could be bad for health and even run the risk of being carcinogenic. For this fundamental reason, its sensible to switch to organic, cold-pressed and extra-virgin, BeejMantra® oils . 

In the context of rising percentages of cancers and other health ailments in the subcontinent, please note that you and family’s health should be of supreme consideration. It is advisable to stay away from products that are or could be injurious to health. 

Comment: By buying these dubious oils you are being proverbial “penny-wise and pound-foolish.” A minuscule budget increase for a purer & natural product that is BeejMantra® oil could be a wiser move to save you & family from a bigger problematic health situation. Factoring the impending medical costs, it would perhaps be an inexpensive and prudent option for you & family to embrace BeejMantra® oils and its honest pricing.   

It is a Hindi word for Cold Pressed, that was operated in ancient times with help of animal labour or कोल्हू का बैल. However, oilseed extraction cannot be commercially extracted by the ancient Indian method of what they call Kacchi Ghani on a medium or large scale for the following reasons:

The machines in India using this technique can at best extract 6 - 8% oil yield. Using animals for rotating the machine is unethical and amounts to animal cruelty. Even if animals are substituted with electric motors on the archaic system, it will yield the only 6-8% oil from the oilseed, which is not commercially viable. Hence, manufacturers end up mixing cheap oils and fluids to make profits. Therefore, the word Kachi Ghani may be a mere marketing cover-story for the expeller, hot pressed, refined and solvent extracted oils. 

In refined oil, oilseeds are processed with acid, or “purified” with an alkali, bleached, neutralized, filtered and deodorized. In refined and solvent oil extraction processes, hexane, a petroleum product is used for oil extraction because of its easy and enhanced oil recovery from the oilseed. Along with hexane they also add some chemicals, degumming agents, caustic soda, acids etc. in the refining process. In most of the refineries the processing temperature reaches up to 220-240 degree centigrade. Refined oils are also said to be Polymerized, a process wherein oil starts converting into liquid plastic when exposed to high temperature.

Comment: The process of refined and solvent extracted oil and its implications can be ascertained from authoritative sources available in the public domain, internet and medical practitioners. Some videos on these subjects are also available in the “Useful Links” tab of this website. 

Hexane is a colourless liquid, and its boiling point is between 50℃ – 70℃ all of which work in favor for oil extraction. To begin the process of solvent extraction, oil seeds are removed of impurities and dried to reduce moisture content. The next step is to crack the seeds for size reduction, they are then flattened to form flakes which increases the surface area to facilitate easier extraction. In the succeeding step hexane is fed as counter current and the solvent extracts oil from the flakes. Then the solvent is evaporated from the oil solvent mixture and from the defatted flakes by exposing them to steam by direct or indirect method. The solvent is condensed to recover back hexane. The oil which is devoid of the solvent undergoes further processing to achieve commercial quality.

The oil content in the flakes after undergoing the solvent extraction method is only 1/2% which is far less when compared to other methods of extraction which may range anywhere between 30- 45%. This makes the unnatural chemical solvent extraction method very attractive for super normal profit-seeking oil manufacturers.  

Yes, Hexane is classified as VOC. Please see the below link:

https://condorchem.com/en/volatile-organic-compound-list/

Cold pressed oil is a best & healthy alternative to refined oil.

Cold pressing is a traditional method of extracting oil, where seeds are crushed by pressing them without use of any heat and chemicals. The seeds and nuts are crushed at room temperature during extraction. BeejMantra® oils extracted from this technique is free from any preservatives and chemicals. This oil retains its essential enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-3 and omega-6 which were present in the organic oilseed.

These natural nutrients prevent us from diseases like cardiovascular problems, cancer, irregular bowel movement, blood pressure, diabetes, acidity, skin and hair problems.

All BeejMantra® oils are cold-pressed at well below 49 degree Celsius with state-of-the-art technology of European standards so that no chemical and/or organoleptic changes occur, and all the natural nutrients are intact while converting seed to oil. BeejMantra® Oil extraction process does not use refining or solvent extraction methods as these processes alter and destroy all the natural nutrients of the seed.

Comment: Switching to BeejMantra® cold pressed oil from cheap, blended and refined oil will see drastic improvement of your health in short, medium and long terms.

The pungency that most consumers have got used to in mustard oils are due to the added artificial essence that inter alia contains a potentially toxic compound like Allyl Isothiocyanate – (AITC) or  Sulphur for pungency. This is done by some manufacturers to attract consumer to believe that their oil is “fresh” (টাটকা in Bengali). This is however a myth and consumer irrationality.  The method of solvent extraction with Hexene may also produce sharpness in the oil, which consumers wrongly believe to be attribute of the oil’s freshness. Similarly, the frothing may also be caused due to added artificial essence to attract consumers. 

In contrast, BeejMantra® cold pressed oils are manufactured without adding any chemicals or essence and therefore closest to the body, texture and aroma that mother nature designed for it.

“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When
you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay
too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you
bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The
common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a
lot - it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well
to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will
have enough to pay for something better.”

 ― John Ruskin