Castor oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean or castor seed. Castor is cultivated for the commercial importance of its oil. India is the world leader in castor seed and oil production and dominates the international castor oil trade. Gujarat accounts for 86% of India's castor seed production followed by Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Castor is mainly grown in Mehsana, Banaskantha and Saurashtra/Kutch regions of Gujarat and Nalgonda and Mahboobnagar districts of Andhra Pradesh. Castor is a Kharif crop. The sowing season of castor is from July to October and the harvesting season is from October to April.
The grade of Castor Oil (FSG) has many applications including that in pharmaceutical and cosmetics, in petroleum oil field De-emulsification and hydraulic fluids for automobiles and machinery.
| Specification for Castor Oil First Special Grade (FSG) | |
|---|---|
Appearance |
Pale Yellow Viscous Clear Liquid |
Moisture & Volatile (Maximum) |
0.25% |
Sediment |
Nil |
Ash |
Nil |
F.F.A (as oleic) (Maximum) |
0.80% |
Acid Value (Maximum) |
1.60 |
Refractive Index @ 40 Deg.C |
1.469 to 1.473 |
Relative density @30 Deg C |
0.953 to 0.960 gm/ml |
Saponification Value |
183 to 185 |
Unsopanification Matter (Maximum) |
0.5% |
Hydroxyl Value |
160 to 163 |
Iodine Value |
82 to 90 |
Solubility |
Soluble in Ether Alcohol |
Optical Rotation |
+/- 3.5 Deg. |
Colour on Lovibond Scale 1" cell |
Yellow 2.0 Max & Red 0.4 Max |
| Specification for Commercial Castor Oil | |
|---|---|
Appearance |
Yellowish ,Viscous , Liquid |
M. I . V. (Maximum) |
0.50 % |
F.F.A (as oleic) (Maximum) |
2.00 % |
Acid Value (Maximum) |
4.00 |
Iodine Value (Wijs) |
82 – 90 |
Saponification Value |
177 – 185 |
Hydroxyl Value |
158 – 163 |
Unsaponifiable matter (Maximum) |
0.70 % |
Colour on lovibond in 1 cell ( Y + 5R) |
30.0 unit Maximum |