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Sunflower oil, odorless. Refined oil: benefits and harms

Sunflower oil is a product that is extracted from vegetable raw materials and consists of fats. It is obtained by pressing or by extraction. Vegetable oil can be refined or unrefined.

What is the difference between refined sunflower oil and unrefined?

Refined oil implies multi-level purification from various impurities, and unrefined oil also undergoes some mechanical purification, but in a much smaller volume. In the modern world, oil is made refined in order to deprive it of taste - this is required by cooking for the preparation of various dishes. Unrefined oil has a specific smell and taste, originally characteristic of sunflower seeds. Used fresh in salad dressings. It is better not to use unrefined oil for frying, as it smokes heavily, tastes unpleasant, and also releases a certain amount of carcinogenic substances that can harm the body.

Methods for preparing unrefined oil

Unrefined sunflower oil is obtained, as a rule, by cold or hot pressing. Cold pressing is carried out manually at home. Unrefined oil, obtained by cold pressing at a low temperature, has a light yellow tint and the aroma of fresh seeds. It is considered the most useful, as it retains the maximum of useful substances. It has a short shelf life and should be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator. In industry, a hot mechanical manufacturing method is used. This oil is brighter in color and has a roasted seed flavor and has a longer shelf life. We buy this oil in stores. Many are interested in the question of which sunflower oil is more useful - refined or unrefined. It has been scientifically proven that even with refining, the ratio of vitamins, fats and natural amino acids in the composition of the oil does not change, so both types of oil bring the same benefit.

The benefits and harms of unrefined sunflower oil

Unrefined sunflower oil contains fatty acids and minerals that a person needs. Its use reduces the risk of skin diseases, helps prevent rickets in children. In addition, with the help of it you can remove excess cholesterol from the body, cleanse blood vessels, and normalize blood circulation in the brain.

Harm can bring the use of unrefined oil above the norm, the recommended daily dose is no more than 2-3 tablespoons per day. In addition, the high calorie content of this product is not suitable for people on a diet. Repeated frying in sunflower oil contributes to the evaporation of harmful substances.

Composition of unrefined sunflower oil

Unrefined sunflower oil is a fatty product and consists of 99.9% fats, it does not contain proteins and carbohydrates. It contains no harmful components and various food additives. The nutritional value of vegetable oil lies in the presence of fatty acids that the body needs to heal and strengthen cells. The composition of unrefined vegetable oil contains magnesium, calcium, iodine and zinc, but the amount of these minerals is small.

Of course, it is best to eat those foods that nature gives us. These products include sunflower oil. The healing properties of this natural product help to properly establish the digestive system, restore the functioning of internal organs, strengthen hair and nails, and improve the immune system.


If we take different vegetable oils: sunflower, corn, soybean, olive, cottonseed, etc. and refine them completely, then you won't be able to tell them apart. These will be exactly the same viscous liquids lighter than water, tasteless, odorless and colorless - the so-called impersonal oils. Their nutritional value is determined only by the presence of essential fatty acids (mainly linoleic and linolenic). These acids are the most important thing that refined vegetable oil contains.

Essential fatty acids, also called vitamin F, are responsible for the synthesis of hormones and the maintenance of immunity. They give stability and elasticity to blood vessels, reduce the body's sensitivity to the action of ultraviolet rays and radioactive radiation, regulate the contraction of smooth muscles, and perform many other vital functions. These beneficial substances in the oil are preserved even after deep refining. To make the oil clear, phospholipids (or phosphatides) are removed from it.

Let's understand the terms

According to the degree of purification, the oil can be:

unrefined - only mechanical impurities are removed;

hydrated - filtration and hydration (treatment with water to remove phosphorus-containing substances) was carried out;

refined not deodorized - filtration, hydration, neutralization (alkaline refining), bleaching (discoloration)

· Refined deodorized - the oil has passed all previous refining and deodorization operations.

There are several stages of refinement.

The first one is getting rid of mechanical impurities. Having passed this procedure, the oil goes on sale as commercial unrefined.

· The next step is the removal of phosphatides (hydration). This treatment makes the oil transparent, after which it is called commercial hydrated.

The third stage is the excretion of free fatty acids. With an excess content of such acids, the oil develops an unpleasant taste. The oil that has passed these three stages is called already refined, not deodorized.

· After bleaching (fourth stage), no pigments remain in the oil, including carotenoids, and it becomes light straw. Deodorization removes volatile compounds, deodorizes the oil and turns it into a refined deodorized oil.

· And, finally, the last stage of purification, during which a colorless, viscous liquid is obtained - freezing, with its help, waxes are removed.

After going through all the stages, the oil becomes impersonal. Margarine, mayonnaise, cooking oils are made from such a product, and are used in canning. Therefore, it should not have a specific taste or smell, so as not to disturb the overall taste of the product.

Sunflower oil most often hits the shelves either refined, non-deodorized - outwardly transparent, but with a characteristic smell and color for it.

Or refined deodorized - very transparent, light yellow, odorless and tasteless seeds.

Or unrefined - it is darker than bleached, maybe with sediment or suspension, but, nevertheless, it has been filtered and, of course, retained the smell that we all know from childhood.

Corn oil

Refined deodorized corn oil is a natural substance belonging to semi-drying oils, a valuable ecological clean food product.

Corn oil is obtained from the germ of corn kernels by two-stage pressing and filtration. In the germ of the grain, ecological and biological valuable substances are concentrated that are necessary for the life of the sprout and the future young plant, so corn germ oil has valuable properties. The germ fat mainly consists of a mixture of triglycerides of predominantly unsaturated fatty acids and contains the least amount of free acids. In terms of physico-chemical indicators, it is close to such vegetable oils as cottonseed, peanut, olive and others, and surpasses them in some indicators, for example, the content of vitamin E in olive oil is 14 mg.%, and in corn oil - 240 mg.%.

Corn oil, obtained from the germ of corn grain, is unrefined, it is used to obtain refined oil and technical purposes - in the soap industry, in the production of drying oils, paints, oilcloth, lubricating oils, artificial rubber, in the leather industry for fatliquoring leather, as well as in production of chemicals and pest control products.

During refining, the oil is purified, components that contribute to the formation of cholesterol are removed. Oil refining is carried out chemically with the inclusion of the following operations: neutralization, hydration, deodorization, cooling and filtration.

Refined deodorized corn oil is produced:

Bulk GOST 8808-91

Packaged TU U 18.453-97

The oil is packaged in polyethylene bottles with a capacity of 1 dm3, mass (910 ± 10) g, which are packed in polymer films, 12 bottles each.

Packaged corn oil is transported by all means of transport in covered vehicles in accordance with the rules for the carriage of goods or by open transport with general shelter from precipitation and sunlight. Bulk oil is transported in rail tank cars, tank trucks or other clean containers.

Vegetable oil refining is a set of technological methods used to ensure that raw vegetable oil obtained by pressing or extraction is brought to commercial quality, meets the requirements of the area of ​​nutrition or industrial processing where this oil is sent.

Refined oil is used in the production of margarine products (as a liquid fraction in the formulations of margarine and mayonnaise), in the baking, confectionery, canning, food concentrate industries, for industrial processing (hydrogenation, production of soap, glycerin, fatty acids, drying oil).

The refining of vegetable oil combines processes, the main purpose of which is the removal from the oil of substances associated with it and some foreign impurities. Accompanying substances include substances that are formed in the seeds during ripening and pass into the oil in the process of its extraction from oilseed raw materials. These are phosphatides, waxes, carbohydrates, free fatty acids, dyes and others. Impurities are substances that are introduced during oil processing. For example, moisture, soap, etc.

Full refining provides oil free from impurities, without specific taste, smell and color with a given minimum content of free fatty acids. According to the standards adopted in the countries of the European Economic Community, such oil is labeled RBD (refined, bleached, deodorised), which means that the oil is refined (in this case, refining refers to the neutralization of the oil), bleached and deodorized.

Oil refining

The technology of purification (refining) of vegetable oil consists of three processes: neutralization, bleaching and deodorization.

Update: October 2018

Sunflower oil is a popular product that is present in the daily diet, used for cooking, is a versatile skin care product and even helps in the treatment of certain diseases. Basically, people prefer it to him - this is both budgetary and already familiar to many.

Few people think about the quality of the product, choosing solely on the external characteristics and the label. Is the perfectly transparent oil in the original bottle so good and what is hidden behind “100% naturalness”, we will tell in this article.

Chemical composition and nutritional value of sunflower oil

The natural, raw product has the following composition (average values):

Nutrient/indicator Quantity in 100 gr. product
Butter calories 899 kcal
Water 0.1 gr
Fats 99.9 gr
Vitamin E 44 mg
Phosphorus 2 mg
Sterols (beta Sitosterol) 200 mg
Saturated fatty acids, of which: 11.3 gr
  • palmitic
6.2 gr
  • Stearic
4.1 gr
  • Begenovaya
0.7 gr
  • Arachinoic
0.3 gr
Monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic) 23.8 gr

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

(linoleic)

59.8 gr
Oil density, p 930 kg/m3

Also in the composition in a small amount there are vitamins D, K, carotenes, vegetable carbohydrates, proteins, mucus, waxes, tannins, inulin.

The composition of sunflower oil varies depending on the location and growing conditions of sunflower, and not always for the better. Plants can be treated with insecticides and pesticides, which also get into the seeds. The composition of the oil, including the residual content of chemically aggressive substances, is regulated by GOST.

Useful properties of the product

The beneficial properties of sunflower oil are well known today. It is a product with a high degree of digestibility, up to 95-98%. The positive effect on the body is due to the composition:

  • phospholipids improve the functioning of cells of the nervous tissue and brain, protect against the development of atherosclerosis, participate in the construction of cell membranes;
  • tocopherol (vit. E) is a powerful antioxidant, normalizes metabolism, helps preserve youth, has an antitumor effect and improves immunity. According to the content of tocopherol, sunflower oil is richer;
  • vitamin D is responsible for the good condition of bones and skin;
  • vitamin K participates in the normalization of blood viscosity, prevents internal bleeding;
  • unsaturated fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-9) are directly involved in the proper functioning of the liver, blood vessels, nervous system, normalize the blood lipoprotein spectrum and prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Increase immunity, have anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant effects. Participate in the normalization of hormonal levels.
  • beta-carotene has a positive effect on growth processes, the state of immunity and improves vision.

Summing up, it should be said that, subject to the consumption rate, a real, high-quality product helps fight atherosclerosis and its complications (heart attack, stroke), improves the function of the central nervous system and increases concentration, slows down the processes of premature aging, improves the condition of hair and skin, has a beneficial effect on work endocrine and genitourinary systems, has antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective effects, has a positive effect on the condition of the gastrointestinal mucosa and is used for constipation (1 tbsp oil on an empty stomach).

Types of sunflower oil

This product is obtained from sunflower seeds using different technologies. Each of them is based on a similar process:

  • peeling oilseed sunflower seeds mechanically;
  • processing of kernels in vyaltsy: crushing into mush;
  • extraction of sunflower oil: passing the slurry through a press and obtaining the first press product;
  • processing of the remaining mass, which may contain up to 30% of the product, in the extraction shop.

Further, the oil is subjected to processing (purification and refining): centrifugation, settling, hydration, filtration, bleaching, deodorization and freezing. And each of these processes affects the quality of the final product. The production of sunflower oil is regulated by law: there is GOST 1129-2013, which clearly defines the standard amount of chemicals, organoleptic indicators, physical and chemical properties and others, according to which the quality of the product is normalized.

There are 5 types of oil. They are listed on the label. Studying the product in the store, it is already possible to draw a conclusion about its quality, composition and effect on the body.

Raw unrefined

This is a first pressing product that is only subjected to filtration. It is considered the most useful: a minimum of production steps allows you to save a maximum of useful substances.

  • pros: has a pleasant natural taste, intense yellow color. In unrefined oil, you can count on the presence of phospholipids, vitamins, carotene, fatty acids.
  • Minuses: However, it quickly becomes bitter and tarnishes, so it has a short shelf life.

There are 3 types: top, first and second grade. Crude oil is obtained in three ways - hot and cold pressing and extraction:

  • cold pressed allows you to get the highest quality, but expensive product (up to 20-30% of oil remains in the cake).
  • hot pressing implies the use of high temperature: the process is accelerated, and more oil comes out.
  • Extraction. During extraction, vegetable raw materials with “underexpressed” oil (cake) are mixed with a solvent, and the oil is completely converted into an organic solvent, which is gasoline or hexane. The mixture is then separated, a process called distillation, during which the oil is separated from the solvent. This is already a proven technology, and we hasten to reassure readers - there are no gasoline residues in the oil! You can read more about the technology in food production manuals.

All subsequent purification and processing processes are nothing more than bringing the product to the required presentation and shelf life.

hydrated

A product that, in addition to mechanical cleaning, undergoes a hydration process: hot water is passed through the oil heated to 60 ° C in the form of a fine dispersion (70 ° C). During this process, protein and mucous fractions precipitate. After processing, the oil has a less pronounced smell and taste, becomes lighter, without turbidity and sediment.

They also distinguish between the highest, first and second grades of the product, similar to unrefined.

Neutralized and refined

The product undergoes complete purification from impurities, as well as free fatty acids, phospholipids using alkalis and acids. The oil acquires optimal external consumer properties, but loses its typical aroma and taste, as well as useful components. It is used for frying, stewing and deep-frying, as well as the production of cooking oils and margarines.

Refined deodorized

Obtained by refining and subsequent exposure to water vapor under vacuum. During processing, the product is deprived of aromatic substances, which shorten the shelf life.

  • Mark "D" indicates that the product is suitable for dietary and baby food,
  • Mark "P"» - for other groups of the population.

Sunflower oil refined deodorized frozen

Freezing the oil removes waxy substances (which make it cloudy in cold conditions and spoil the presentation) and further increase the shelf life. In fact, this product has no taste, no smell, no nutrients in the composition, and is nothing more than a mixture of triglycerides.

How to choose the best sunflower oil

Most Helpful– crude oil of the first extraction, obtained by cold pressing from high-quality sunflower seeds grown in environmentally friendly conditions and sold in glass containers. It has a short shelf life, in violation of which it becomes cloudy, rancid. In addition, when the oil goes rancid, carcinogens are formed in it that are dangerous to health.

This product contains all useful substances and is ideal for dressing salads, side dishes. But frying on it is definitely not worth it: when it boils, it begins to foam, smoke and release carcinogenic substances that enter the food, and with it into the human body. Yes, the incoming carcinogen does not necessarily cause cancer. But the regular intake of carcinogens (and not only with food) leads to their accumulation in the body, and sooner or later a sporadic effect can work!

A reasonable question arises: where to find it and how to choose a good unrefined oil?

Today, such products can be bought in small farms, health food stores and from manufacturers who are engaged in obtaining an environmentally friendly product. Naturally, all manufacturers must have permits, strictly follow the technology and exercise production control: the study of the quality and composition of the oil in accredited laboratories at regular intervals. The buyer has the right to demand documents for oil: research protocols and a quality certificate.

How to choose homemade sunflower oil?

It is very difficult to talk about the quality of oils that are sold on bottling or in bottles in the markets. There are only guidelines that you can rely on, but the main guarantee that the bottle is not counterfeit is a quality certificate.

So, homemade product:

  • has a pronounced, rich smell and natural taste of seeds;
  • has a rich yellow-golden color, but not dark;
  • a drop of oil on the skin of the hand should slowly spread;
  • when pouring the product from a container into another container, there should be practically no sound;
  • allow a small sediment at the bottom.

You should be concerned:

  • unnatural dark color, taste and texture of the product,
  • the presence of suspension (turbidity),
  • Strong smell,
  • the shelf life of draft oil is only 1 month - no one can guarantee that the seller is conscientious and says the real date of production.

If you are still lucky enough to find that very best manufacturer of a product that is “sick” with its business, do not buy a lot of oil, it is better to come to the market twice or thrice a month for fresh oil. Store purchased oil only in the refrigerator and in glass containers.

How to choose a good refined oil in the store?

  • You can't blindly trust advertising . Very often, manufacturers manipulate the minds of buyers and write attractive phrases on the labels:
    • "no cholesterol". This is understandable - a product of plant origin cannot contain cholesterol;
    • "fortified". If we are talking about unrefined, then the statement may be true. But in a repeatedly purified product (refined), there cannot be vitamins, and most likely a synthetic vitamin is added (most often E);
    • "natural". Natural means it is made from sunflower seeds, i.e. natural, not artificial. Both refined and unrefined oils are natural. So far, there are no such nanotechnologies to synthesize oil artificially.

You can write anything on the label - but the consumer should pay attention not to the front part, but to the back, where the composition is indicated.

  • Read the ingredients of the product carefully! On the front of the label may be written "Sunflower", and in the composition - a mixture of vegetable oils, for example, the addition of rapeseed. This is a tricky but legal trick of the manufacturer: in this case, the word "sunflower" is the name of the product, as well as "Golden Seed", "Kuban", etc.
  • Give preference to proven, well-known manufacturers of sunflower oil that manufacture their products in accordance with GOST with the marking "P" or "D".
  • Choose a bottle that stands at the back of the shelf and in no case take the packaging from open windows - the oil oxidizes in the light.
  • Carefully read the release date and expiration date: if it is coming to an end, you should not take such oil (and most often such products are sold under promotional goods with a very attractive price).

Slightly digressing from the topic, we note that adherents of a healthy lifestyle and people who want to live long have long abandoned such a method of cooking as frying in oil, deep-frying. There is a special cookware that allows you to cook with an appetizing crust, but without oil.

If life without products fried in the classical way is not possible, you need to buy oils that do not change their properties and the properties of the product when boiled (high-quality refined deodorized and frozen).

Very important:

  • pour the product into a cold pan and heat slowly;
  • do not cook at the highest temperatures;
  • do not overcook food (the crispier and tastier the crust, the more dangerous the food for health);
  • during frying, turn over meat products more often - this is how uniform heating occurs without the formation of local overcooked foci with carcinogens;
  • allow excess oil to drain from the product and pour out the remains after frying. The greatest harm of refined sunflower oil occurs if you use it repeatedly for frying food: with each subsequent heating, dangerous carcinogens accumulate that can cause cancer.

Experiment

In one of the programs of the "Habitat" cycle, an experiment was conducted: a professional chef fried potatoes in different types of oils: refined and unrefined sunflower, sesame, unrefined olive, melted and creamy. Samples of the finished product and oil residues were tested in the laboratory of the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences for the content of one of the most powerful carcinogens - acrylamide.

Results:

  • In all samples of the finished product, the level of acrylamide was 900-1500 micrograms per kilogram, which is within the normal range.
  • In two samples, the level of acrylamide was negligible:
    • 0.584 milligrams per kilogram in unrefined sunflower oil,
    • 0.009 milligrams per kilogram in potatoes fried in refined sunflower oil.

Thus, it was concluded that the best oil for frying food is refined sunflower oil.

  • Even natural vegetable oil should be taken in limited quantities.. This is a high-calorie product that, in large doses, can provoke the development or exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to weight gain. With uncontrolled use of oil, especially on an empty stomach, gastrointestinal dysfunction (diarrhea) may develop.
  • Consumption rate- about 2 tablespoons per day in its pure form (including oil in dishes).
  • In no case should you cleanse the body using this product.. This method is still positioned by charlatans as the best and safest, but in fact leads to irreversible changes in the function of the liver and gallbladder.
  • You can’t ignore expiration dates, but it’s better to divide them by two. Over time, oxides (peroxides and hydroperoxides) are formed in the product, which disrupt metabolic processes. Any product after opening the container must be used within 1 month after opening.
  • You should also observe the storage temperature Do not place the product on a window or in direct sunlight. Natural unrefined oil should be stored only in glass containers and in the refrigerator.
  • Turbidity and sediment, which have formed in the raw product during the permissible shelf life, are not a sign of poor quality. Waxes and phosphatides, useful components, precipitate. Just shake the bottle.

Harm of sunflower oil

Sunflower oil causes the strongest blow to the body in the following cases:

  1. unrefined- if it is expired or used for frying and deep-frying;
  2. refined– if it is expired or used for frying and deep-frying WRONG – repeatedly and at maximum temperatures at which it starts to smoke!

The danger of expired oil

In expired oils (when rancid), aldehydes and ketones are formed.

  • Ketones- toxic. They have an irritating effect, penetrate the skin, some of them have a carcinogenic and mutagenic effect.
  • Aldehydes- able to accumulate in the body, providing a general toxic, irritating and neurotoxic effect, and some are also carcinogens.
  • The most useful of all is raw and unrefined oil, but you can’t buy it for future use, because shelf life is limited (4-6 months).
  • The shelf life of homemade oil is 1 month, i.e. it must be consumed immediately after purchase.
  • Refined oil can store 12-18 months. after manufacturing(and as practice shows, it is stored even more, without changing outwardly at all, and some people use it), but there will be no benefit from such oil, but harm is quite possible.

What is harmful frying in vegetable oil

The smoke point of refined oil is 232°C, unrefined 107°C. It is easy to understand that the oil has reached the specified temperature range: it begins to smoke, exude a pungent odor, “cut” the eyes and irritate the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract.

When frying among a bouquet of "chemistry" are especially dangerous:

  • Acrolein. Acrylic acid aldehyde, a poisonous substance that strongly irritates the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. It is formed immediately when the oil reaches the smoke point.
  • Acrylamide. Acrylic acid amide. A toxin that affects the liver, kidneys, and nervous system. Formed in starchy foods when fried in oil at temperatures above 120°C. It is localized in the very “tasty and fragrant” crust.
  • Fatty acid polymers, heterocyclic amines and free radicals. Formed in the products of burning and smoking. They have a general toxic effect.
  • Carbon-containing polycyclic substances (benzpyrene, coronene). Strong chemical carcinogens of the first hazard class, which are formed in the products of smoking and burning.

Application in cosmetology

A natural product used for cosmetic purposes to moisturize dry skin. It has regenerating and softening properties and helps to restore the skin after a long stay in the cold. Smoothes fine wrinkles. It is used to cleanse the skin of the face - quickly dissolves and removes impurities.

To moisturize dry skin, warm oil compresses are made. With such a problem as cracks in the feet, hands and lips, as well as irritation on the skin, a simple recipe helps: take 100 ml of oil and 1 bottle of pharmacy vitamin A, mix and lubricate problem areas of the skin two to three times a day.

For hair, it is used as a component of nourishing and moisturizing masks.

Contraindications and restrictions

A direct contraindication to the use of the product is individual intolerance - an allergy to oil or sunflower seeds.

In a limited amount and with caution, the oil should be used by people with:

  • chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • dysfunction of the biliary tract or gallbladder, cholelithiasis. This category of people should not take oil on an empty stomach and should strictly follow the recommended rate. In patients with gallbladder stones, while taking oil, stone movement and blockage of the bile ducts may begin;
  • diabetes mellitus;
  • obese.

conclusions

Many media write that olive oil is a panacea, which is positioned as the most valuable and useful. What's up?

To get the basic useful substances necessary for the body, sunflower oil familiar to Russians is enough: unrefined, fresh, not rancid, properly stored (no more than 1 month in the refrigerator in a glass container) and without subjecting the product to heat treatment, i.e. for dressing salads and as a flavoring additive.

For frying, deep-frying, you should use only good refined sunflower oil and drain it after cooking. For each new serving of food - pour fresh oil.

And in order to get the maximum, you need to combine various oils (and not only olive oil) or alternate their use:

  • the largest amount of vitamin E gives a product from sunflower;
  • essential Omega-3 acids contains linseed and mustard oil;
  • a complex of Omega-6 acids, biologically active substances, minerals and vitamins and are contained in any unrefined product obtained by direct extraction, including olive oil.

And yet - everything useful is useful if the measure is observed. You can not use more than 3 tbsp. oils per day, even if you produce it yourself and are 100% sure of the quality!

When choosing vegetable oil, the question arises, which is better - refined or unrefined? Let's try to figure out what the difference is. Unrefined oil: sunflower, olive, corn, coconut, how and why should it be used?

Vegetable oil is extracted from oil crops in two ways - by cold pressing, pressing parts of plants and deep chemical cleaning under the influence of reagents and high temperature. With the first, mechanical method, we get a product called unrefined oil, with the second, as a result of complex chemical purification, refined without impurities.

Which oil is better refined or unrefined?

Previously, housewives used 1-2 types of oils for cooking, and few people knew the word refining. In our time, on the contrary, refined oil has replaced unrefined oil from the shelves and kitchens, but nostalgia for the thick aroma of roasted seeds remains.

Which oil is better, and which product to prefer is a moot point.

Refined and unrefined oil: differences

In favor of cold pressing:

  • In the production of unrefined oil remain vitamins, hormones, are partially lost during refining.
  • In unrefined oil phosphatides are present, involved in the transport of fatty polyunsaturated acids to cells, they disappear during hot processing.
  • When refining decreases amount indispensable acids omega 3, omega 6 that the human body cannot produce.
  • Heat treatment removes the substances responsible for the smell and taste of the oil, as well as the pigments that determine the saturation of the color.
  • Unrefined oil, in contrast to the purified analogue, is used in cosmetology.
  • Treatment with unrefined oil and preparations based on it are used in modern and traditional medicine.

In favor of deep cleaning - deodorization:

  • Raw, first pressing, in oil pesticides remain, which are used in the cultivation of oilseed crops.
  • The viscose substance is not removed which gives turbidity, sediment and an unpleasant taste during storage.
  • It is not recommended to fry in unrefined oil, foam is formed, and the oil smokes, releasing carcinogens (acrylamide). Refined oil is ideal for frying.
  • Refined oil, unlike unrefined oil, is widely used in the food industry, goes to the production of margarine, mayonnaise, and baking.
  • Big minus unrefined oil- fear of sunlight and short shelf life: in the refrigerator 4 months, out of the refrigerator, at room temperature only 1-1.5 months. Refined vegetable fat is a long-liver, not afraid of light and direct sunlight.

Unrefined oil: benefits and harms

Unrefined vegetable oil is a valuable natural, ecological product. The daily human diet must contain unrefined vegetable fat, a source of vitamins and essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6, with important function:

  • prevent the formation of blood clots, protecting the body from atherosclerosis
  • enter the cell membrane, providing the passage of nerve impulses
  • increase the body's immunity
  • promote the production of growth hormones
  • improve blood clotting
  • increase human reproductive capacity
  • favorably affect the condition of the skin, nails and hair

Thanks to the unique composition, unrefined oil is used:

  1. In cooking- for preparing cold dishes
  2. In cosmetology- is part of cosmetics and for cosmetic procedures
  3. In folk medicine- the basis for drugs and an independent remedy
  4. In the food industry

Unrefined oil with a set of fatty polyunsaturated acids can have a detrimental effect on the human body. It is necessary to maintain a balance of vegetable fats, especially for obese people and dieters.

Unrefined sunflower oil

Unrefined sunflower oil of rich dark amber color, with a delicious, appetizing aroma of roasted seeds. It is obtained from sunflower seeds by cold pressing. In everyday life, unrefined sunflower oil is called: raw seed, salad, lean, fried.

Refined and unrefined sunflower oil, the main food for cooking in our kitchen, as, indeed, for a large number of people on the planet.

Among other oils, unrefined sunflower oil stands out:

  1. Increased content lecithin (phospholipids), it is called the fuel of our body and the building material of cells, it ensures the passage of a nerve impulse. In old age it maintains clarity of mind, in youth it forms the nervous system of future geniuses.
  2. Quantity vitamin E (tocopherol) three times more than the widely advertised olive oil. biologically active compound tocopherol is responsible for reproduction and preserves youth at the cellular level.

Unrefined vegetable oil is used:

  • In cooking- dressing vegetable salads, in the manufacture of various sauces for vinaigrettes, meat and fish.
  • In folk medicine- therapeutic rinsing of the mouth for sore throat, migraine, toothache
  • Pharmacology- the basis of ointments, emulsions and creams based on it.
  • In cosmetology - for the manufacture of creams for the care of weathered, flabby skin of the face, as well as coarsened on the soles and heels, elbows.
  • Based on it, they make face and dry hair masks, a particularly good effect is achieved in winter.

It is impossible to fry on unrefined sunflower oil, not even because it foams and interrupts the smell and taste of food, but because when heated to 140 ° -150 °, fatty acids, vitamins, phosphates decompose, forming compounds dangerous to human life.

Unrefined olive oil

Unrefined extra virgin olive oil filtered and unfiltered with olive particles, extracted by mechanical means from the fruits and seeds of the olive tree. This oil is called Provencal, has a specific taste and bitterness, with a greenish tinge (though not always) is considered the most useful.

It does not have a special advantage in comparison with sunflower or corn, the only thing is that it is close to animal fats in composition, hence the rapid absorption and utilization.

Unrefined olive oil is revered by many experts:

  1. Cooks- as an excellent addition to dishes and sauces
  2. Doctors- as a help with stretch marks, injuries, mosquito bites, dermatitis and sunburn
  3. Beauticians generally love it:
  • added to cream protecting the skin from the sun's rays with the properties of UV filters
  • use in masks for face, lotions for body, gels For shower, creams for legs
  • used to create cosmetic line with anti-age for aging skin that has lost its tone
  • practice as a universal cosmetic hair care product.

  1. In countries where olive oil is the main oil, there is no emphasis on refining, the main thing is that the name should contain Extra Virgin, i.e. machining.
  2. Almost all olive oil in the countries of the Mediterranean basin is unrefined first pressing, it is used for frying, the combustion temperature is 40 ° -50 ° higher than that of unrefined sunflower oil. The only oil on which they do not fry is with particles of olives that have not been filtered.
  3. Any producer of unrefined oil in Greece, Italy and Spain will give an unequivocal answer - “You need to fry on Extra Virgin, which conflicts with nutritionists.

We, who do not know the intricacies of Greek and Italian cuisine, will use refined second-pressed oil for frying, as experts advise. When buying "live" cold-pressed oil, pay attention to acidity, it should not exceed 1.5%.

Unrefined corn oil

Unrefined corn oil is obtained from corn, a plant in the cereal family , more precisely, from seed germs, mechanical separation and cold pressing. Unrefined corn oil is darker in color than refined refined corn oil and has little sediment. The taste of the product is neutral with a delicate aromatic smell. Americans call corn oil the "Gold of the West" for its color and unique properties.

If we compare sunflower and corn oil, then there is no significant difference between them. The features of the latter include:

  • amount tocopherol (vitamin E), which is responsible for offspring and youth, several times more than in sunflower oil
  • unsaturated acids omega-3, omega-6 contained in less
  • as well as corn sunflower oil - an active fighter against free radicals due to a complex of antioxidants

Unfortunately, we do not have a culture of eating unrefined corn oil, which is a pity, the oil has a high biological value and a neutral taste.

Use unrefined corn oil:

  1. In cooking- salad dressing, vinaigrettes, added to preservation.
  2. In folk medicine finds application as an ointment and emulsion base for medicines.
  3. In cosmetology benefit from oil as a product with regenerating, nourishing, moisturizing properties, they make:
  • creams useful for dry, aging skin, especially during menopause
  • nourishing masks for hair with the use of additional components (honey, eggs, lemon), stimulate growth
  • massage oil for dry, problematic skin, wrapping.

Nutritionists do not recommend frying with unrefined corn oil, for this there is an ideal and cheaper analogue for this purpose - refined.

Unrefined coconut oil

The coconut palm is the name of the tree, from the fruits of which, or rather, from the pulp called copra, oil is extracted that deserves special attention.

Of great value is unrefined coconut oil, extracted by hand. To obtain one liter, it is required to shovel more than one kilogram of coconut palm fruits. The oil turns out to taste sweet, viscous, with a cooling effect and a pleasant smell of coconut, which is often used in cooking.

At temperatures below 24°C, it changes from liquid to solid. The oil can be stored for a long time without changing its taste and smell.

Coconut oil contains:

  • vitamins
  • record number of irreplaceable saturated fatty acids(the benefits of which are in question)
  • rare sterols that have a positive anti-inflammatory effect
  • antioxidants, which is three times more than in olive oil

It is no wonder that such a composition works wonders. The only downside is the price! But when it comes to health and youth, women think about paying for them last, don't they?

Unrefined coconut oil is comedogenic, with the unpleasant property of clogging the pores of the skin, so it is mixed with lighter liquid oils.

Coconut unrefined oil, application:

  • It has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect, helps with fungal infections of the skin and nails.
  • For dry skin damaged by sunburn, weather-beaten. Penetrates into the upper layer of the epidermis, saturates with microelements and vitamins, makes the skin moist, elastic and very tender.
  • Due to the ability to increase collagen production and accelerate the formation of young cells, it is used as basis of anti-aging creams.
  • For massage in high-end spas or at home, the oil is usually prepared by hand, cold pressed.
  • Can be applied for skin care and massage of newborns This is a common procedure for African countries.
  • Hair masks improve the condition, give a healthy glow.
  • Making amazing soap from the pulp of a tropical plant.

Coconut oil is classified as a saturated oil, unlike the aforementioned oils, which are classified as unsaturated vegetable fats.

Cooks say that it is best to fry with refined coconut oil; when heated, it does not form acrylamide, a carcinogen. Truth is, it's not an easy task! Locals in Southeast Asia manage to fry with unrefined coconut oil, which requires sleight of hand to keep the food from burning. As a result, the dishes acquire a spicy sweetish taste, but there is no need to talk about the benefits.

What is the best unrefined oil?

Healthy nutrition that is relevant today promises to return to the dinner table unrefined live, “fresh” oil obtained as a result of gentle pressing, with a bouquet of vitamins, hormones, fatty acids.

Every housewife must have extra virgin oil for use in cold dishes, snacks and a cheaper analogue - refined for frying and stewing.

The question of which oil to choose: sunflower, corn, olive or exotic coconut, even a nutritionist cannot unambiguously answer. It all depends on what we use it for, and on subjective taste preferences. Do not forget that improper storage can make a healthy product unfit for food!

Video: Vegetable oil, which is more useful?

Our compatriots heard about refined vegetable oil not so long ago.

The flagship in the expanses of the post-Soviet space was TM "Oleina" - its advertising appeared in the late 90s, or rather in 1997.

Until that time, there was no special variety of oils, only the usual unrefined.

It was used both for salads and for frying, though not everyone liked the taste and smell of such “goodies”, too bright relish gives unrefined oil to the products that are fried on it.

And yet, under the influence of high temperatures, it releases harmful substances that adversely affect the human body.

Having tried purified (refined) oil, none of the housewives returned to unrefined oil, at least for frying.

Crude oil today is used only for fresh consumption, which, however, is correct..

Affordable cost, economical consumption, the complete absence of smell and taste of vegetable oil, as well as burning during cooking brought national love and recognition to the refined product.

At one time, it completely ousted the unrefined from the store shelves, in which advertising played an important role.

She focused the attention of potential consumers on the fact that foods prepared with refined oil are dietary and low in calories.

It is good that over time these two types of oils divided the market, because, in fact, they are not competitors, they are both healthy in their own way, each of them has its own field of application, its own advantages and disadvantages.

Refined vs Unrefined Oil: What's the Difference?

The key difference between unrefined and refined vegetable fat is the way they are produced.

If we omit the details of the vegetable oil manufacturing processes that dictate the rules of ultra-profitable commerce, then ideally they should look like this.

To obtain the most useful unrefined oil, raw materials (for our latitudes, these are sunflower, corn, flax, pumpkin seeds, for warm countries, these are olives, sesame, almonds and other oilseeds) are subjected to powerful presses, that is, they are thereby obtained by cold pressing.

It will be a virgin oil obtained by cold pressing. But since it is impossible to squeeze out all the oil from the raw material in this way, an extraction method was invented to help him, which is used after pressing.

The essence of the extraction is to heat the remains of the cake, treat them with organic (I would like to believe in this) solvents, which increase the return of the oil, and then are removed from the final product.

Thus, re-pressed oil is obtained, it is no longer as valuable and useful as what is obtained in the first pressing by a press.

As for refined vegetable oil, the raw material for its production is an unrefined product. During forced refining, various impurities are removed from it:

  • aromatic and flavoring substances;
  • those that can precipitate and spoil the look of the finished product - phospholipids;
  • pigments (refined oil is almost colorless);
  • all waxy substances and the wax itself, which cause the oil to become cloudy;
  • unbound fatty acids and others.

This is a brief description of the technologies for obtaining oils. Today, unfortunately, the production of vegetable oils is primarily a big business, which involves the use of far from harmless technologies.

They allow you to get a market product with minimal material and time costs.

In some varieties of refined vegetable oil, all components useful for the body may be completely absent, and very harmful ones may be present instead.

Therefore, any oil should be bought only from trusted manufacturers, and preferably directly at oil mills, if possible.

Vegetable unrefined oil - benefits

Crude oil is a storehouse of vitamins and components valuable for the body. It is very tasty and fragrant, makes the usual dishes richer, richer.

But it can't be on it! to fry, to get the maximum benefit, you need to use such oil only fresh.

1. Saturates the body with vitamins.

2. Essential fatty acids (which ones depend on the type of oil).

3. Supplier of antioxidants.

4. It is an excellent means of preventing thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

5. Stimulates the production of growth hormone in children and adolescents.

6. Regular use of such vegetable fat improves the condition of hair, nails, and skin.

7. Beneficial effect on the state of the nervous system.

8. Used in cosmetology for the preparation of nourishing and rejuvenating formulations.

9. Normalizes the functions of the organs of the reproductive system in men and women.

10. Increases the body's immune properties.

11. Improves the permeability of nerve impulses through cell membranes.

12. It is a mandatory component of a healthy diet.

13. Normalizes metabolic processes in the body.

Despite the obvious benefits of cold-pressed oil, it should be consumed in very limited quantities - a couple of tablespoons per day, but regularly.

Refined oil, of course, loses in benefits to unrefined oil, since it contains much less of those natural biologically active components with which the crude product is saturated.

But it is ideal for preparing dietary healthy food - stewed, baked and even fried, if you do not eat a lot of it every day.

Many are skeptical about refined vegetable oils, but without them, one would have to completely switch to boiled food, or quite harmful, fried in animal fats.

And so, refined, like the golden mean - it is universal, suitable for fillings and for thermal processing of products.

In conclusion, it can be said that there should be two types of oil on the table- one for consumption in its pure form externally and internally, and the other so that the food gives maximum benefit and pleasure to the eaters. Be healthy.