Vegetable oils

Main vegetable oils for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic use

FIRST NAME

SPECIES

Peanut oil

Arachys hypogaea

Ben oil

Moringa oleifera

Coconut oil

Cocos nucifera

Cotton oil

Gossypium

Jojoba oil

Simmondsia chinensis = Scalifornica = Buxuschinensis

Sunflower oil

Helianthus annuus

Linseed oil

Linum usitatissimum

Corn oil

Zea mays

Sweet almond oil

Prunus communis = P.dulcis = P.amygdalus

Palm oil

Elaeis guineensis

Olive oil

Oleum europaea

Castor oil

Ricinus communis

Sesame oil

Sesamum indicum

Soya oil

Glycine max = Soja hispida

Peanut oil

Peanut oil is an oil rich in oleic acid (35-72%) and linoleic (13-45%). Being composed mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids, it is in some ways similar to olive oil and as such is quite stable at high temperatures. Its high smoke point, which is around 180 ° C, makes it a particularly suitable vegetable oil for frying.

Vitamin E content is also good (19.1 mg / 100g)

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is characterized by high percentages of unsaturated fatty acids and low saturated contents. In particular, sunflower oil is very rich in linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid, very useful for controlling cholesterol and triglycerides.

Thanks also to its excellent content of vitamin E (68 mg / 100 g), sunflower oil is an ideal condiment to add raw to dishes.

Instead, its use in cooking and frying is not recommended, since the polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in it would easily meet degenerative processes producing harmful residues for the organism.

Corn seed oil

Corn oil has a composition similar to that of sunflower oil, it is therefore rich in vitamin E (34.5 mg / 100g) and linoleic acid (38-52%).

Used raw to flavor dishes, it is an excellent ally for our health.

Soybean oil

Soybean oil contains both essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic). Twenty grams of unrefined soybean oil meet the daily requirement of both essential fats. As olive oil should be stored in cool places away from sunlight (use opaque bottles).

Coconut oil

It is composed almost exclusively of medium chain saturated fatty acids. This particular type of fatty acid is not dangerous for our health as it does not affect the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Coconut oil therefore, despite its high percentage of saturated fats (84%) is not as dangerous for our health as one might think after a summary analysis.

However, it is a lower quality vegetable oil than the traditional olive oil and other commonly used seed oils (corn, sunflower, peanut wheat germ)

Palm oil

Palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the palm and is rather rich in long chain fatty acids which make it a rather damaging vegetable oil for the heart and arteries

Palm kernel oil is instead obtained from the seeds of the fruit and from a nutritional point of view it is preferable to palm oil (comparable to coconut oil as it is rich in MCT).

Both oils are particularly rich in vitamin A and E.

Rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is characterized by the abundant presence of erucic acid, a substance harmful to the body. Due to the presence of this harmful fatty acid, rapeseed oil is used by law exclusively in association with other oils, without exceeding 5% of the total. However, the selection of species allowed to obtain rapeseed varieties with erucic acid content close to zero; the oil extracted from these crops has characteristics similar to olive oil and has been renamed canola oil.

Grapeseed oil

Of all the vegetable oils, the grape seed oil is undoubtedly the richest in linoleic acid. If used for frying, like all vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, it deteriorates easily, giving rise to an extremely toxic compound called HNE (4-hydroxy -2-nonenal). This toxin is absorbed by food and if taken in high doses it can cause serious damage to the liver, arteries (atherosclerosis) and the nervous system (stroke, parkinson, Alzheimer)

Sesame oil

Particularly rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, sesame oil is characterized by equal amounts of oleic acid (37-49%) and linoleic acid (37-47%).

It is extracted by pressing from sesame seeds, of which it retains its typical flavor and fragrance. It has a dark color, tending to red and is used mainly in oriental cuisine.

Linseed oil

Being very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids in contact with air it easily undergoes oxidation and polymerization phenomena which transform the surface layer into a solid, compact and elastic film which is the basic property of so-called oil paints.

Wheat germ oil

Rich in vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids, it is an oil that is friendly to our health as long as it is eaten raw.

Dietary oils

Characterized by the addition of vitamin (A, D, E)

* refined vegetable oils have a higher smoke point than the unrefined ones and are therefore more suitable for frying