Where does Emu Oil come from and how is it processed?

The emu has a large pad of fat across its back, as well as some internal fat. Farm grown emu have anywhere from 15 – 30 pounds of fat at 14 months of age. When the bird is processed for its heart healthy red meat, the fat is usually vacuum packaged and frozen for shipping to an oil rendering facility for processing.

The basic steps to processing emu oil are to melt it, filter it and deodorize it. Oil rendering facilities strive to conduct these steps in a way that does not compromise the unusual properties of the oil.

Variables in the melting process are heat and oxygen flow. Lower heat and lower oxygen flow appear to produce reasonably clear and usually low peroxide oil. The lower the peroxide level the more stable the oil is and the longer its shelf life.

The filtering step is important for a couple of reasons. If the rendering is done carefully there should be very little water left in the oil. Filtering removes any excess water and protein molecules. Some fat processing facilities use sodium hydroxide to filter the oil. This helps bind the free fatty acids within the fat to strip them away all together. The question is – does this also strip any properties of the oil and is all of the sodium hydroxide removed or is any left behind?
Some facilities use a chemical called hexane in processing the oil. Hexane is used in the processing of approximately 95% of the vegetable oils on our supermarket shelves. The question arises again – is all of the hexane removed during the process and what possible ramifications exist if it is not. Other facilities avoid chemicals and use a silica-based fine clay. The fat is filtered down to .2 microns which eliminates bacteria and produces fine clear oil.

Further fractionation (or physical separation) can be done by cooling the oil. This allows the clear oil to rise to the top and the thick, creamy oil to fall to the bottom. Oil is then decanted to produce two finishes. Fatty acid analysis done on the two samples reveals they are virtually identical, so it may be that physical separation is purely cosmetic. However – since so little is actually known about how emu oil works, or what exact compounds, in what ratio are most effective it is possible that separation reduces the oil’s over all effectiveness. Further analysis and studies are needed.

The final step is deodorizing. This is typically done with a burst of steam through the oil. Again lower temperatures produce better oil. Soybean oil requires up to 550◦F to deodorize. This high a temperature would create a large number of trans fatty acids which would decrease the shelf life of emu oil. If emu fat has been handled properly – immediately frozen, rendered at low heat with low oxygen it should not require more than 300◦F to deodorize the oil. Some facilities use a vacuum deodorizer which allows even lower heat and still insures sterilization against bacteria, viruses and molds.

It is the decision of the processor at the end of the rendering process whether to add an antioxidant which slows the oxidation process. Many popular antioxidants including BHA and BHT which are petrochemical products and can cause irritation. The friendliest is vitamin E.

Processing facilities have special proprietary processes that they have developed which go by different terms – triple refined and winterized are basically processes that physically separate lighter from heavier oil. Some facilities blend the oils to produce a creamy product with no separation. Molecular distillation is another process which evokes disagreement. Some processors belief it produces higher quality oil, others believe that the natural triglycerides are lost in the process. Further studies are needed to clarify this.

Probably the easiest thing to determine is whether or not the oil you use has passed through a certification process created by the American Emu Association. This process ensures batch testing by a lab to analyze free radicals and other component of the oil and to allow tracking of all oil to a specific batch number if issues occur. This stamp of approval enables more consistent product and experience by the consumer. Look for emu oil which carries the American Emu Association Certified Fully Refined Seal.