Cold pressed oils may be of greater nutritional benefit to horses as they have been extracted from their parent plant, in this case rapeseed, using a low heat technique and without the use of solvents. Much of the ‘supermarket’ oils will have undergone a more intensive solvent extraction at higher temperatures as this serves to increase the yield from the oil seed. The unsaturated fatty acids found in rapeseed and other vegetable oils are also sensitive to oxidation at high temperature, making cold pressing an attractive technique for extraction despite the lower yields.
b) Palatability Cold pressing which is a much less intensive and more traditional process is anecdotally thought to improve palatability, as flavour can be modified when traditional extraction techniques are used.
c) Natural – Cold pressed oil offers a much more natural product, with no residual solvents present, as no solvents are involved in the pressing process.