Refined or unrefined: Nutritionist explains which oil is beneficial for your health
Which oil is more healthy (photo: Freepik)
An indispensable product in every kitchen is oil. Currently, there is a wide selection of this product available in stores. Not everyone knows the difference between refined and unrefined oil, according to Ukrainian nutritionist Olha Voynikova.
What is known about oil
Any oil is composed of fats. Both saturated and unsaturated fats are needed, just in different amounts.
Refinement is the process of purifying oil from unwanted substances. The oil is filtered, passed through a press, and chemically treated to remove impurities.
"You might be surprised, but oils are made up of 95% or more fats. The remaining 5% are the beneficial components. Don’t expect that refined oil will harm you and unrefined oil will heal you," the message states.
One should avoid extremes and not categorize food as simply good or bad.
Which oil is better
Unrefined oil contains more vitamins and phospholipids and is excellent for salads. Refined oil is great for frying. Unrefined oil can't be used for frying if its smoke point is low, as it will turn from a healthy oil into a harmful one.
Unrefined sunflower oil starts to form harmful substances at just 107°C, while refined oil can be safely heated to 232°C.
It’s important not to heat oil beyond its smoke point or reuse it. Specifically, unrefined oil is better added to salads and drizzled over finished dishes. Refined oil, on the other hand, can be used in thermally processed foods if needed.
According to the nutritionist, oil is refined to increase its smoke point and to remove everything that burns during heating (phospholipids, vitamins, and waxes).
What stages does sunflower oil go through from the seed to the frying pan:
- Cleaning - removing stones, leaves, etc.
- Shelling - cleaning the seed and extracting the kernel
- Crushing
- Roasting
- Pressing to extract the first oil
As a result, there is a cake left - the dry residue remaining after pressing. There is still a lot of oil in the cake, but it cannot be extracted by simple pressing. However, this needs to be done because it is both economical and reduces waste for nature and humanity.
Extraction from the cake. A solvent (hexane) is used here - it does not mix with the cake, but only "pulls out" the oil from it.
After this, hexane is distilled - simply evaporated from the oil.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
