Not that I am advising you to make it a habit, but on the occasion you decide to deep fry a meal, think olive oil; it has once again proven itself as the healthiest cooking oil in a test comparing how it fares as contrasted with seed oils.
In a study conducted by scientists from the University of Sfax, Tunisia, collaborating with scientists from the Max-Rubner-Institut, Germany, the researchers wanted to see the changes that occur to cooking oil used in frying at different temperatures.
The researchers had four different oils for the setup; refined olive oil, soybean oil, corn oil and sunflower oil. These were used to deep fry potatoes at 160oC and 190oC and to pan-fry the same at 180oC.
Afterwards, the oils were assessed using a combination of three methods, chromatography, spectroscopy and chemometrics in order to determine their quality after use.
Olive oil was found to be the most stable of the four oils, forming far less trans-fatty acids and polar compounds. On the other end, sunflower oil suffered the greatest level of deterioration, observable at 180oC.
The relative stability of olive oil is attributable to its high concentrations of monounsaturated fats compared to the relatively high concentration of polyunsaturated fats in seeds oils such as sunflower oil, as polyunsaturated fats are more heat sensitive than monounsaturated fats. It must be noted that both unsaturated fats are considered generally healthy.
Such stability means that the oil could be safely used for longer periods of cooking.
Indeed, previous studies have shown that olive oil can be used in deep-frying for 24-27 straight hours before it is considered significantly damaged, and when the temperature is set to 180oC, it could be used for 36 hours before needing replacement.
But, beyond just being used in frying for longer periods, olive oil (especially the extra virgin olive oil) comes packed with a lot of healthy benefits. It’s rich in phenols and exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti- oxidant properties, besides also being a source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils in addition to modest amounts of Vitamins E and K.
It’s also been demonstrated to protect blood vessels, and is believed to have some anti-cancer effect, even though that is still a matter under investigation.
Olive oil was found to be the most stable of the four oils, forming far less trans-fatty acids and polar compounds. On the other end, sunflower oil suffered the greatest level of deterioration, observable at 180oC.
The relative stability of olive oil is attributable to its high concentrations of monounsaturated fats compared to the relatively high concentration of polyunsaturated fats in seeds oils such as sunflower oil, as polyunsaturated fats are more heat sensitive than monounsaturated fats. It must be noted that both unsaturated fats are considered generally healthy.
Such stability means that the oil could be safely used for longer periods of cooking.
Indeed, previous studies have shown that olive oil can be used in deep-frying for 24-27 straight hours before it is considered significantly damaged, and when the temperature is set to 180oC, it could be used for 36 hours before needing replacement.
But, beyond just being used in frying for longer periods, olive oil (especially the extra virgin olive oil) comes packed with a lot of healthy benefits. It’s rich in phenols and exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti- oxidant properties, besides also being a source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils in addition to modest amounts of Vitamins E and K.
It’s also been demonstrated to protect blood vessels, and is believed to have some anti-cancer effect, even though that is still a matter under investigation.
But don’t forget, you can’t magically expect unhealthy food to suddenly be considered healthy because you’ve used olive oil.
