Our diet is the most integral part of our survival and oil plays an important role in it. Be it cooking, dressing, frying, baking or even serving, oil has an important job.
There has been a lot of research involving edible oil, their ingredients, their effects on our body and so on. Many studies have shown the supremacy of unsaturated fats over saturated ones and many vice versa. Eye catching endorsements, family traditions, scientific data, community beliefs are few things that can make us biased while choosing our cooking oil.
Read this article to know
- About your oil
- Their main ingredients
- What to look for while choosing the oil?
- What to avoid in cooking oil?
- Which oil blends with which food?
- Recommendations regarding cooking oil.
There are many different types of oil being endorsed in the market. Some have saturated fatty acid chains, some have monounsaturated or MUFA and polyunsaturated PUFA like linoleic, alpha linoleic acid. Some have trans fats, some are fortified with vitamins. Most of these components are important for our body but the ratio of each matters. So before choosing your cooking oil learn about its ingredients, their effect on our body and their outcome.
To understand the oils, we need to know a little about the
Basic structure of fat/oil:
Structure of oil is generally made of glycerol and three long fatty acid chains. These chains determine the type of fatty acid. If all the carbon atoms are bound to hydrogen on all sides, it’s saturated. Due to their linear structure, these chains are packed closely and are generally solid at room temperature. This increases stability of saturated fats.
When a single carbon bond is replaced by a double bond at one place it makes monounsaturated fat. This is also comparatively stable. In case this double bond is present two or more times, it forms polyunsaturated fatty acid. Depending on the position of the double bond, the PUFA structure is given the name. In omega 3, double bond occurs at the third position from the end. So is the case with omega 6, 7 and 9.
In case the hydrogen in double bond is on same side, it forms cis molecular fat. Whereas hydrogen atoms on opposite sides form trans fat, which is generally considered unhealthy for our body.
Composition of commonly used oil:
Oils rich in saturated fats include coconut oil, palm oil, ghee, butter, flaxseed oil and animal fat.
Oils rich in monounsaturated fats include olive oil, mustard oil, canola oil, groundnut oil.
Sunflower oil, safflower, soya bean, cotton seed oils are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFA.
Saturated fats-
Many recent studies have concluded that saturated fats are not as harmful for the body as earlier beliefs. In fact saturated fats are more stable at room temp and their chances to go rancid at high temp cooking are very less. They can maintain their natural form even at high temperatures due to their high smoke point. Saturated fats are good for cooking as they are close to their natural origin and don’t need much refinement. Butter and ghee are good for consumption in a range of about less than 10% of the total calorie intake.
Monounsaturated fats-
Monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFA rich oils like olive oil, mustard oil, canola oil are also stable and most can be used for cooking. They also have other health benefits.
MUFA rich oils also generally have high smoke point, and most of them are available in their natural form, without refinement. MUFA helps lower LDL but maintains HDL. Oleic acid is the most common MUFA. Others are palmitoleic acid and vaccinia acid.
Composition of different monounsaturated fats-
- Olive oil is the best source of MUFA. It contains about 70%- 80% of oleic acid, 15% PUFA and the rest is saturated fat. Olive oil has a smoke point of 190-215 C or 374-419 F. Refined olive oil has a smoke point of 210 C or 410 F. Though considered a good composition but due to its low smoke point olive oil is not recommended for deep frying/ stir frying or cooking at high temperatures. It is good for salad dressings, low heat cooking and giving finishing touch to dishes. Also olive oil has a high ratio of linoleic to alpha linoleic acid which is generally considered unhealthy and unsafe for deep frying.
- Groundnut oil contains 47% of oleic acid, and around 32% polyunsaturated fats, mainly linoleic acid. Though it has a high smoke point of around 230C or 446F but due to its high concentration of PUFA it can go under oxidative damage at high temperatures. Also it’s ratio of LA/ALA is very high. It’s around 40 which is way higher than recommended.
- Mustard oil is rich in monounsaturated fats. It has around 12% saturated fats, around 60% MUFA, of which 42% is erucic acid and around 12% is oleic acid. PUFA concentration of mustard oil contains 15% linoleic acid or omega 6 and about 6% omega 3 or alpha linoleic acid. It has an LA/ ALA concentration of 1 which is considered good for cardiac health and other inflammatory conditions like arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disorders. This also makes it perfect for high temperature cooking or deep frying.
Mustard oil is the best for Indian cooking scenarios and it’s my personal favourite due to its specific flavour and composition. It’s available in non processed form, Kacchi Dhani. Erucic acid was of concern for many people earlier. However, many studies have shown it’s safety in human consumption. Also it’s recommended TDI is much higher than what a normal person consumes daily on an average.
Canola oil, though extracted from the same family, is different from mustard oil as it is grown from genetically modified seeds and is extracted after high levels of chemical processing.
Polyunsaturated fats-
Same is the case with refined vegetable oils like soybean oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil. They contain high amounts of polyunsaturated fats. PUFA is considered as good fat but in refined forms, this PUFA is oxidised very easily. This makes it unhealthy for consumption. Refining process of these vegetable oils involves hydrogenation, degumming, bleaching, deodorisation and dewaxing to make it fit for consumption. These refined oils have a high smoke point but due to high levels of unsaturation, these oils are easily oxidised during heating. Oxygen reacts to the double bonds present in lipids, releasing free radicals. Higher levels of unsaturation causes more oxidation during frying. So more the double bonds or more the unsaturation, more are the chances of it getting oxidised.
What to look for while choosing the oil?
- Smoke point- Smoke point is the temperature at which oil/ fat begins to produce blumish smoke. At this temperature oil breaks down in free radicals. Oils with low smoke points are not ideal for cooking at high temperatures. Refining the oil increases its smoke point but at the cost of added chemicals. Smoke point decreases significantly by reusing oils. The longer the oil is used for frying, the less it’s smoke point becomes. As free fatty acids increase in oil, it’s smoke point decreases rapidly. Even 1% free fatty acid in soybean oil causes 25% decline in its smoke point. So even if the oil has a high smoke point, repeated frying is not recommended. Also chemically refined oils with high smoke point is not a great choice. Naturally extracted fats like butter, ghee, coconut oils are considered good for cooking at high temperatures as its high smoke point is natural property and not chemically induced.
- Ratio of omega 6 and omega 3 –
Omega 6 and omega 3 are important health concerning fatty chains. How these are named, has already been explained above. Omega 3 is considered anti-inflammatory while omega 6 is pro inflammatory. Omega 3 or alpha linoleic acid contains 3 double bonds and it gets oxidised 25 times faster. Linoleic acid or omega 6 contains 2 double bonds and it oxidises 12 times faster. So an ideal ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 is essential. Ratio of 3:1 or 2:1 is considered good to reduce inflammation in people. Refined oils like sunflower and safflower have a very high ratio of around 120-140. Coconut oil and ghee have a ratio of 4-6 which is in good range. Mustard oil has a ratio of LA/ALA of about 1, which is an ideal ratio. - Process of extraction-The way the oil is extracted is important to avoid harmful chemicals. Refined oils are extracted after a lot of chemical processing. Virgin or extra virgin oils are extracted mechanically without added chemicals, so they are a good choice. Some extra virgin oils have a high smoke point like avocado oil and macadamia oil, making them good for high temperature cooking. Extra virgin coconut oil is great for medium temperature cooking. Extra virgin olive oil is best for salad dressings and low temperature cooking, but not a good choice for high temperatures.
- Type of fat- Each type of fat has its own benefits. Saturated fat is healthy as it remains stable and is the most natural form of fat, MUFA and PUFA helps in reducing cholesterol but they are highly unstable due to their structure. Recommendations are to limit your saturated fats to less than 10%, polyunsaturated also around 8%-10% and monounsaturated fats to be between 15%-20% of total calorie intake.
What to avoid while choosing the oil?
Avoid refined oils of any type or brand. Refining makes the oil stable only by chemical processing rendering it harmful. Avoid trans fats in any amount. Pre packed foods, ready to eat meals, coffee creamers, baked cakes, cookies, biscuits all contain trans fats.
Avoid stocking the oils. Buy small batches of fresh oil, as oil gets rancid quickly.
Avoid sticking to one type of oil. Each oil has its own benefits and each contains different components. One oil doesn’t match all dishes, so try using 2-3 good quality oils in your kitchen.
Avoid mismatch of oil and dishes. Oils with low smoke point are not suited for deep frying or saute.
Avoid using non-stick pans of any quality and use dish appropriate shape of cooking vessel. Flat frying pans work best for high heat and wok shapes are great for stir frying for a short time with minimum oil.
Recommendations:
Fats are calorie dense. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, whatever may be the type of fat. So limit your fat intake. It’s a great idea to use saturated fats whenever possible. Replacing fat with carbohydrates or sugar, is the worst thing while planning calorie count.
Monounsaturated fats are also good to control cholesterol levels. Polyunsaturated fats are generally available in refined forms to increase stability, so limit their intake.
Use 2-3 different types of oil in your kitchen. Each oil has its own composition with added components. But use dish appropriate oil.
For Indian cooking scenarios, best is to use local, unrefined, cold pressed oils like mustard oil and coconut oil. Manually extracted ghee or butter is being used in Indian kitchens since ages. Indian cooking involves a lot of deep frying and saute, for which saturated fats like ghee, coconut oil work great. Mustard oil has a perfect ratio of ALA/LA with a perfect combination of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. It’s a great choice for Indian cuisines due to its added flavour to food. It blends well with Indian curries. It’s a great choice for Indian kitchens.
Eat mindful and stay healthy!
