What is the best oil for frying? The CSIC responds with a new study
They are in the focus of every healthy diet. And on the black list of most nutritionists, due to its multiplying effect on food calories. However, fried foods are still common in many homes. The question is, How does the chosen oil affect the final process? Willing to clarify doubts, the Fat Institute of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (IG-CSIC) has released the results of a study that concludes that olive pomace oil It is best suited for frying. Among its advantages, the report highlights the improvement in many cases of the fatty acid profile and the enrichment of the food in antioxidant compounds. Likewise, they highlight that this oil has neutral sensory characteristics, which enhances the original quality of the product in frying; that is, the flavor, texture and color.
This is reflected in the research‘Characterization and evaluation of the bioactive components of Olive Pomace Oil in fried foods’. Its objective was none other than “to obtain scientific evidence of the advantages of olive pomace oil in discontinuous (domestic) and continuous (industrial) frying,” said organization highlights. According to this CSIC document, olive pomace oil is very rich in oleic acid and contains exclusive bioactive compounds, “which achieve a protective effect both on the oil, making it more durable and stable, and on health, with beneficial effects for the body,” said María Victoria Ruiz Méndez, senior scientist at the Fat Institute and principal investigator of the study.
This oil is also extracted from the fruit of the olive tree, but unlike extra virgin, which has not been included in this study, like the rest of olive oils, is obtained from the semi-solid part resulting from the press, known as alperujo or wet fatty pomace; that is, the pulp, bones and skins of the olives.
Thus, while the conventional sunflower oils that were used for the study reached their maximum level of use in the ninth-tenth frying and the high oleic sunflower oils in number 17 or 18, those made from olive pomace could reach the 21st frying time; confirming its durability and stability.
The study has carried out a complete characterization of the bioactive compounds of olive pomace oil – squalene, tocopherols, sterols, alcohols and triterpenic acids and aliphatic fatty alcohols – to verify their thermal stability and their transfer to fried foods. With this objective, Tests were carried out with oils from different batches with products such as pre-fried frozen potatoes or croquettes and chicken nuggets. In addition, simulations were carried out for continuous frying at an industrial level and for discontinuous frying, such as that which could take place in a home or in a restaurant.