The wonderful oil of ostrich comes from rendering their fat. There is anecdotal evidence of the benefits of their wonderful oil in providing relief from certain skin irritations and other discomforts such as:
* Sunburn
* Blisters
* Dry Skin
* Psoriasis
* Skin Cuts
* Bed Sores
* Skin Burns
* Chapped Lips
* Canker Sores
* Sore Muscles
* Skin Abrasions
* Radiation Burn Relief
As production increases, it will be possible to verify this evidence with full scientific studies.
Most animals have some method for fat storage that can be used in times of stress such as illness, support high production or handle weather extremes. Ostriches main Fat Reserve, that they can easily draw from when requiring additional energy at times of stress,is located on their belly. From a commercial viewpoint this is easy to recover - see illustration below.
The best quality oil is recovered from a fat pan that is pure white in colour.
PROCESSING:
Sergio Escobar produced a presentation on processing ostrich oil for the World Ostrich Association conference held in Chile in 2003. The presentation was produced in Spanish, the english version is a translation from that presentation. The presentations are in pdf format.