Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. Under natural conditions, the cotton bolls will tend to increase the dispersion of the seeds.
Cotton as a major cash crop, is of considerable social and economic importance to Nigeria. Cotton is used to make a number of textile products.
In addition to the textile industry, cotton is used in fishing nets, coffee filters, tents, explosives manufacture (see nitrocellulose), cotton paper, and in bookbinding. The first Chinese paper was made of cotton fiber. Fire hoses were once made of cotton.
The cottonseed which remains after the cotton is ginned is used to produce cottonseed oil, which, after refining, can be consumed by humans like any other vegetable oil.
Cotton seed, like sunflower, corn or soybean, is fast gaining acceptance worldwide, as a viable cooking alternative.
One of the healthier vegetable oils, cottonseed oil is highly popular for its neutral, slightly nutty flavour and extensive applications – and is a beneficial addition to our export portfolio It is “naturally hydrogenated” because of its levels of oleic, palmitic and stearic acids. This makes it stable frying oil without the need for additional processing or formation of trans-fatty acids.
Once processed, cottonseed oil has a mild taste and appears generally clear with a light golden colour, the amount of colour depending on the amount of refining. Cottonseed oil is naturally hydrogenated, while most other oils must be hydrogenated to retain their tolerance for high frying temperatures creating unhealthy saturated fats. Cottonseed oil retains its natural tolerance for high frying temperatures and is therefore, popular and recommended for all kinds of food manufacturing applications like deep-frying, baking and as salad dressing.
Cottonseed oil is stable frying oil, and is used for mayonnaise, salad dressing, and as other flavoured condiments. It resists rancidity and is high on tocopherol which contributes to longer shelf life for its products. Far from producing objectionable flavours and odours, like many other oils, it is the standard against which other oils are compared for pleasing aroma, flavour and performance. It is also less expensive when compared to other oils and is now used in a wide range of processed foods from breads to cereals.
Cotton seed oil is one of the few oils considered acceptable for reducing saturated fat intake. Cottonseed oil has traditionally been used in foods such as potato chips. But since it is significantly less expensive than olive oil or canola oil, cottonseed has started to creep into a much wider range of processed foods, including cereals, breads and snack foods.
Cottonseed meal is the by-product of oil extraction from cotton seeds. A protein-rich feed, cottonseed meal is a common source of protein for ruminants and they are used as a partial substitute for soybean meal.
Nigerians use vegetable oil extensively without caution. Consequently, the demand for the product is ever growing. As demand grows, so is supply. It is like no amount of supplies would satisfy the growing demand. During the festive season, demand rises significantly and because the demand is elastic, prices rise astronomically. Even with the price hike, demand remains constant. With a population of over 167 million people and an estimated national population growth rate of 3.7 per cent per annum, an average economic growth rate of 3.5 per cent per annum in the past five years, Nigeria has a large market for vegetable or edible oil.
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