Chapter 3
Cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum)
Manvesh Kumar Sihag, Ami Patel, and Vikas Kumar
Abstract Cotton is both a food and a fiber crop. The cottonseed fibers/linters are
mainly used for textile industry, while, as a food, its oil is used worldwide in various
food applications such as cooking oil, frying oil, salad dressings, shortenings, and
margarines. Unlike other oilseeds/vegetable oils, cottonseed has an antinutrient
known as gossypol, which is highly toxic to monogastric animals and causes
cardiotoxic and hemolytic effects and interferes with fertility and reproductive
functions. Due to the oil refining technology, most of the gossypol goes to cottonseed meal/cake, which, further, is used as a feed ingredient for ruminants. Ruminants
are more resistant to gossypol toxicity than monogastric species, because it remains
in bound form with proteins and thus unavailable to the body. Cottonseed oil is a rich
source of essential fatty acid (linoleic acid, ω-6), which has been reported to show
positive effects on cardiovascular health and immunomodulatory functions, if consumed at recommended levels.
Keywords Cottonseed · Gossypol · Antinutrients · Phytonutrients · Cardiovascular
diseases · Salad dressing
M. K. Sihag (*)
Department of Dairy Chemistry, College of Dairy Science & Technology, Guru Angad Dev
Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
e-mail: manveshsihag@gmail.com
A. Patel
Dairy Microbiology Department, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy & Food Technology (MIDFT),
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: ami@midft.com
V. Kumar
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_3
73
Cottonseed (Gossypium hirsutum)
Manvesh Kumar Sihag, Ami Patel, and Vikas Kumar
Abstract Cotton is both a food and a fiber crop. The cottonseed fibers/linters are
mainly used for textile industry, while, as a food, its oil is used worldwide in various
food applications such as cooking oil, frying oil, salad dressings, shortenings, and
margarines. Unlike other oilseeds/vegetable oils, cottonseed has an antinutrient
known as gossypol, which is highly toxic to monogastric animals and causes
cardiotoxic and hemolytic effects and interferes with fertility and reproductive
functions. Due to the oil refining technology, most of the gossypol goes to cottonseed meal/cake, which, further, is used as a feed ingredient for ruminants. Ruminants
are more resistant to gossypol toxicity than monogastric species, because it remains
in bound form with proteins and thus unavailable to the body. Cottonseed oil is a rich
source of essential fatty acid (linoleic acid, ω-6), which has been reported to show
positive effects on cardiovascular health and immunomodulatory functions, if consumed at recommended levels.
Keywords Cottonseed · Gossypol · Antinutrients · Phytonutrients · Cardiovascular
diseases · Salad dressing
M. K. Sihag (*)
Department of Dairy Chemistry, College of Dairy Science & Technology, Guru Angad Dev
Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
e-mail: manveshsihag@gmail.com
A. Patel
Dairy Microbiology Department, Mansinhbhai Institute of Dairy & Food Technology (MIDFT),
Mehsana, Gujarat, India
e-mail: ami@midft.com
V. Kumar
Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. Tanwar, A. Goyal (eds.), Oilseeds: Health Attributes and Food Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4194-0_3
73