In a world where news and views on health and diet are churned out by the minute, how does one make a reasonable assessment of the various choices that line the shelves? And when it is edible oil, how does one make a decision when terms and labels such as PUFA, MUFA, EFA, trans-fat-free, fortified and gamma oryzanol, to name just a few, leap out from the packs? And if we opt for cold-pressed and unrefined oils that are perceived to be healthier, what should we look out for?

In a conversation with cat.a.lyst , NSS Sai, oil technologist and Vice-President - Operations & Projects, Kaleesuwari Refinery, says there is nothing like being able to use 80 per cent of groundnut oil and 20 per cent of sesame oil extracted by the ghani , the traditional Indian oil mill. These oils will have a natural fragrance, taste and antioxidants that are found naturally in food. However, due to the lack of availability of oil seeds, it is not possible to scale this to a large population.

“Anything that is closest to nature is good, be it vegetables or oil,” says Sai. But who is to say that cold-pressed and unrefined oils do not contain pesticides? Or fungus? Many such oils are sourced from the unorganised sector, including small oil mills which source from farmers. If there has been rain during the harvest or extended storage, some mould in the crop is likely. “Do you think they’ll throw it away?” he asks. This contamination leads to stomach and throat infections and not many can guess it is due to the oil, he points out.

Dharini Krishnan, a Chennai-based dietician, points out that there is a flip side to both refined and unrefined oils. Earlier, when people had their own farmland and produced their own food, they could be sure of its quality. On the other hand, how is the average consumer to know whether refining has really rid oil of the moisture and residue? A lot depends on the seeds used and the storage. Going in for branded products and looking for standard certification for any product, refined or organic or unrefined, are two ways to mitigate risks, she advises.

Sai recommends consuming a mix of about 50-60 per cent of sunflower oil, and rice bran oil as another option. Sunflower oil is known to be good for Indian cooking with reasonably good qualities to withstand frying temperature and contains good MUFA and PUFA. It also contains the highest amount of alpha-Tocopherols (Vitamin E) after the refining process. Rice bran oil contains gamma oryzanol, which has myriad benefits. FSSAI standards for rice bran oil stipulate a minimum of 10,000 ppm of oryzanol post-refining. It also makes for lesser absorption. If one compares two batches of, say, pakoras fried in rice bran oil versus other oils, there would be about 10-15 per cent of rice bran oil left over compared to the others, says Sai.

Dietician Krishnan also recommends rice bran oil for deep frying. For everyday cooking, she recommends gingelly oil in the south, and mustard oil in the North.

Anurag Lodha, COO, Kaleesuwari Refinery, says food preferences dictate certain aspects such as the smell and colour of cooking oil. In the last 30 years, the consumer has shifted to refined and branded packed oils, and for oil that is free of odour and lighter in colour.

The darker colour of pre-refined oil comes from the naturally present compounds in the oil such as tocopherols and betacarotene. “During refining, the amount of healthy nutrients is reduced but not totally eliminated,” says Lodha.

Sai says some oils – groundnut, sesame, coconut and mustard – need not be refined but others such as rice bran, cotton seed, sunflower, soya and palm must be refined to get rid of harmful elements such as FFA (free fatty acids), gum, aldehydes, ketones, and waxes. One can use a variety of oils if they can afford it.

Here are some precautions. Don’t heat oil to smoking point. It is vital to discard cooking oil safely after using it for one session of frying. Oil used for frying should not be cooled and reused as it can be carcinogenic.

The volume of the container has to match the amount of oil as otherwise, the air in the empty space will oxidise the oil and shrink shelf life, says Sai. For instance, store 3 litres of oil in a 3-litre vessel, not in a 15-litre one. Also, a common mistake is to keep the oil container next to the stove. Exposing oil (and any other food) to direct heat is not good as it can oxidise the oil.

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