Kapok Seed

Kapok Seeds are the small, dark, round seeds of Ceiba pentandra, the tall kapok or white silk-cotton tree. The tree is best known for the light, silky fibre inside its pods, but the seeds themselves are a useful oilseed, pressed for kapok seed oil and producing a protein-rich seed cake.

Arizone International supplies Kapok Seeds in bulk for oil mills, soap and industrial oil processors, feed and fertiliser producers, traders and exporters.

The Silk-Cotton Tree

Ceiba pentandra is a giant tropical tree with a straight trunk and wide buttress roots, found across tropical America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. It is sacred to the Maya and is the national tree of Guatemala. In India, it is grown in the south and east, including Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, and is known as safed semal or white silk-cotton. It should not be confused with Bombax ceiba, the red silk-cotton tree with bright red flowers.

The pods split open when ripe to release fluffy, cotton-like fibre. This fibre is very light, water-repellent and buoyant, and was once used to fill life jackets, pillows and mattresses. Java in Indonesia was historically a major kapok source, which is why kapok is sometimes called "Java cotton". The seeds are separated from the fibre during processing.

Kapok Seed Oil

Kapok seeds contain roughly 20% to 25% oil. Crude kapok seed oil is yellow to greenish and has a mild smell. Its fatty acid profile is mainly linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, similar in some ways to cottonseed oil. Crude oil also contains small amounts of cyclopropenoid fatty acids, so it is refined before any food use in the regions where it is eaten. The oil is widely used in soap making, lubricants and some industrial applications.

Applications

• Oil ExtractionFor soap, lubricants, illuminants and, after refining, some edible uses where permitted.
• Soap and Detergent ManufacturingAs part of oil blends.
• Seed CakeUsed as organic fertiliser and, after suitable processing, in some animal feeds.
• Biodiesel ResearchKapok seed oil has been studied as a non-edible feedstock for biodiesel.
• Planting MaterialFor kapok plantations.

Quality Parameters

• Oil content and moisture
• Purity, foreign matter and remaining fibre
• Free fatty acid level in the extracted oil
• Seed size and maturity
• Aflatoxins where seed cake is used for feed

Packaging and Storage

Kapok Seeds are packed in PP or jute bags, typically 40 kg to 50 kg, or as required. Store in a cool, dry, ventilated place to prevent the oil from turning rancid and to avoid mould.

Tips for Buyers and Formulators

Kapok seed is traded mainly for oil crushing, so ask for oil content and moisture on the COA. The seed cake can be used in feed only after proper processing, as it contains natural anti-nutrients.

Why Choose Arizone International?

We are an India-based supplier and exporter of oilseeds, herbs and natural raw materials. We supply cleaned Kapok Seeds to your specification with full export documentation and phytosanitary certificates.

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