M. N. Chethan, M. Ruchitha Oilseed, biofuels, degumming, bioplastics, by-products 47-53 10 (2) April 2026 Oilseeds such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, groundnut and palm kernel are very important in the global food system because they provide a major share of the vegetable oil consumed worldwide, and their demand is increasing due to the growing use of biofuels. However, converting raw seeds into refined edible oil involves several steps. The seeds are first cleaned and dehulled, followed by cooking, pressing or solvent extraction and then refining through different stages such as degumming, neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation before the oil is ready for consumption. Each of these processing steps produces different by-products and wastes, such as husks, oilseed cake, gums, soap stock, spent bleaching earth and wastewater.