Long gone are the days when our mothers and grandmothers fried pies in fragrant sunflower oil, the advertisement says one thing, but in reality it turns out completely different.
So it is with the invention of clever marketers.-refined sunflower oil
Over the past 20 years, it has become incredibly popular, heavily advertised and almost universally used.
For our body, this product in terms of molecular composition almost DOES NOT DIFFER FROM PLASTIC. Only facts.
Preparation method:
1. Extraction. Now no one squeezes the seed. The raw material is poured with an extractant-solvent, for example, hexane. I won’t even scare you with the toxicity of this drug solvent. Be scared yourself. Despite all the evaporation, the hexane remains in the oil.
2. Refining. What are they clearing? From all the useful substances for which it makes sense to grow seeds for oil: lecithin, chlorophyll, vitamin E and minerals.
3. Purification. Exposure to an alkaline solution - caustic soda.
4. Discoloration. diatomaceous earth. Or water vapor under vacuum.
5. Filtration. Here the oil loses carotene and other remnants of useful substances.
6. Deodorization. Deodorization is carried out in a vacuum with live steam. The process continues for 45 minutes, the temperature of the oil at the outlet is +230 °C. Demargarinization.
And here it is bottled and called oil 128552;
It's not even worth talking about the tricks of advertisers and marketers, which allow selling it to the population.
REFINED OIL IN MOLECULAR STRUCTURE ALMOST DIFFERENT FROM PLASTIC! In the process of such “cleansing”, fatty acid molecules are broken and twisted, which leads to the creation of molecules - freaks - trans fatty acid isomers, or trans fats.
Refined oils contain up to 25% trans fats! These substances do not exist in nature! Therefore, the body does not know how to deal with them and cannot bring them out. Over the years, they accumulate and create big problems for the owner of the body: trans fats are extremely toxic and cause serious consequences - stress, atherosclerosis, ischemia, heart disease, cancer, hormonal disruptions (for example, obesity) and so on.
And then we say - the disease is younger. Everything is simple.
During all these executions, the fatty acid molecules of natural plant materials are deformed beyond recognition.
This is how trans fats are created - trans isomers of fatty acids that are simply not absorbed by the human body.
Refined oil, obtained by such barbaric methods, contains up to 25% of these mutilated molecules, that is, ¼
Undigested transisomers are not excreted from the body, but gradually accumulate in it, forming toxic substances.
In this regard, a person who regularly consumes refined vegetable oil develops a whole bunch of diseases over time.
Hormonal disruptions
Cardiac ischemia
Atherosclerosis
Cancer and other serious diseases
I will add a little about people who are honestly confused by advertising and say "I don't like the smell." This is scary. It's like... from films about a technogenic future, where the smell of grass is called stink, the smell of rain is mold, and the light of the sun is unstable harmful lighting.
How are we persuaded to buy this unthinkable substance?
Here are just some of the marketing ploys used by the unscrupulous producers of harmful refined vegetable oil.
Does not contain cholesterol- an amazing phrase designed for ignorant citizens
Any vegetable oil - even refined, though not very - cholesterol, in principle, does not contain
It is found only in animal fats.
Does not contain preservatives- yes, manufacturers really did not add preservatives to the finished refined oil for the sole reason that this dead product, repeatedly treated with chemicals, will not deteriorate anyway
With vitamins- this is already an outright lie, there can be no vitamins in refined oil, unless the manufacturer additionally “enriched” this harmful substance with their synthetic counterparts
Academician Malyshev talks about the dangers of refined vegetable oil
How to choose vegetable oil, and which one should not be approached?
For salads and adding to the cooled first and second courses, you should choose sunflower and extra virgin olive oil
Moreover, olive oil in this case cannot be cheap and sold in a plastic bottle.
Keep in mind that you can’t fry in unrefined oil - when heated above 100 degrees, it becomes carcinogenic - it releases the harmful substance acralamide
Definitely not worth buying
Corn oil, as it is almost always refined
Soybean and rapeseed oils are pressed from genetically modified seeds
What to do with all this information?
Quit frying altogether?
There is an exit!
Try to use only raw oils. It is better to purchase them from small private oil plants, from familiar farmers and small producers. This oil is somewhat more expensive, but remember that otherwise you save on your health! In addition, by doing so, you will support conscientious people and domestic producers, and not selfish giant manufacturers.
As for the question of smell, choose the most pleasant oils for dressing and frying. After all, not one sunflower oil is alive! You can easily find on sale linseed, rapeseed, camelina, corn, olive, coconut (not to be confused with harmful palm!), sesame, mustard oils. Experiment with them and you will discover a new taste of your usual dishes.
However, occasionally you can pamper your family with pancakes and pancakes, just use the right oil for their preparation - melted butter or natural coconut
Trading networks offer us the usual well-known product, in a fairly wide range. The offered oil differs in grades, type, quality, price, methods of production and processing. Not everyone, however, is sure about the quality of the proposed industrial product, since manufacturers often use some unhealthy substances in the process, the remains of which may be in the final product. Some manufacturers also add dyes and stabilizers (I really don’t want such an oil, and even more so when cooking with it for children).
But there is a way out (for the diligent).
You can cook high-quality cold-pressed sunflower oil at home, the basic recipe is simple. So you need to find high-quality seeds suitable for processing varieties. For those who are going to constantly make sunflower oil at home, it makes sense to purchase or make-order some devices. Beginners can get by with more familiar or homemade primitive kitchen gadgets.
How to make sunflower oil?
We will tell you how to squeeze and store sunflower oil at home.
The general principle of obtaining homemade sunflower oil is as follows: the seed must be peeled, the oil squeezed out, filtered and / or cleaned in another way.
In serious home production, calibrators (seed cleaning machines), oil presses and various filters are used to clean seeds.
To obtain sunflower oil in small quantities, the seeds can be cleaned with a seed mill, processed in a grain grinder (or using a blender, combine, meat grinder). Then we pour the mixture of seeds with husks with cold water so that the husks we do not need emerge (this process is called hydroflotation). After removing the husk, we discard the mass of seeds with water on a sieve and let the water drain.
In another option, if you manage to clean the grains well from the husk before pressing, then after pressing the grain mass you will get cake, to which you can add sugar syrup or honey - you will get an excellent halva. Hydroflotation is not needed in this type of process.
Do not use ready-made peeled seeds - the oil will be bitter.
Now squeeze out the oil. By the way, for meat grinders there are nozzles for separating juices from cake, they are very suitable for our purposes. Or you can make your own press from a small aluminum pan. On the bottom of the pan, closer to the center, we drill several holes to drain the oil. In the center of the bottom, we drill a hole for a long thick bolt and fix it rigidly (with a nut). We use a wooden circle with a bolt hole as a piston. Consider further improvements yourself. Screw the nut on top of the mug.
We put the mass from which we will press the oil into the press and tighten the nut with a convenient wrench, slowly. As the oil drains, we screw in more ... and a little more, and until it stops. Of course, under the press is a container into which the oil flows.
Now the oil can be filtered. It is even better to first freeze the oil in a powerful freezer at a temperature not higher than -15 ° C, and then filter it, so we will also remove the remaining water.
It is best to store the oil in dark beer bottles filled to the top, sealed hermetically, without access to light, in a cool place.
Irina Kamshilina
Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than for yourself))
Content
Vegetable oil is a popular product that is used by housewives all over the world in cooking when preparing salads, soups, frying, stewing and canning. How sunflower oil is obtained, what are the unique properties of this useful product, what are the benefits and harms of unrefined oil - these are the range of issues that will be discussed in this article.
What is sunflower oil
Vegetable oil obtained from sunflower seeds is called sunflower oil. It is extracted from ripened sunflower seeds, widely used in cooking, industrial canning, soap making, paint and varnish production, pharmaceutical, cosmetology production (included in various ointments, creams). The industrial method of squeezing seeds was invented in 1829, since then it has been the most popular Russian oil product.
Compound
The main useful component in the chemical composition of sunflower oil are omega fatty acids. This type of vegetable oil product is an almost indispensable source of vegetable fats: saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid, linolenic acid) - vitamin F. In addition to them, the product is saturated with vitamins D, A and E. Energy value (caloric content) - 899 kcal. The content of all substances per 100 g of the product is given in the table below:
Kinds
There are several types of classification of vegetable oils, including sunflower. There are types of product according to the method of obtaining (type of extraction) - cold (the greatest benefit), hot pressing, and obtained by extraction. The following types of sunflower oil that have undergone various purification methods are common:
- unrefined sunflower (rough mechanical cleaning; has a sharp specific odor);
- hydrated (purified with hot water);
- refined (additionally purified after mechanical cleaning);
- deodorized (deodorization - steam treatment under vacuum).
To answer the question of which vegetable oil is better to buy, you need to understand which cleaning method retains more useful substances in the product. After passing through several stages of purification, the nutritional properties of sunflower oil are reduced, so the most useful is an unrefined cold-pressed oil product that retains the maximum percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
How do they do
The manufacturing process of the product begins with the cleaning of sunflower seeds and their grinding. The higher the humidity and the degree of ripening of raw seeds, the greater the amount of product obtained at the exit. Before squeezing the seeds, pulp or mint is obtained from them. Then, by pressing or extraction (chemical separation of the resulting mixture into an oil product and a miscella), oil is isolated from this mass. During subsequent refining, it is further purified with hot water.
Application
A vegetable oil product from sunflower is one of the most popular Russian dressings, which is widely used for cooking a variety of dishes, for salad dressing. However, cooking is not the only area of \u200b\u200bits application. Due to its high oleic composition, the product is used in the manufacture of cosmetics, added to ointments and creams. It is also used in its natural form - in the process of treating a number of diseases and promoting health. Traditional healers recommend drinking a tablespoon of the oil product in the morning on an empty stomach to improve digestion.
The benefits of sunflower oil
Sunflower seeds contain vitamins and a number of essential trace elements such as phosphorus. The benefits of sunflower oil for the body lies in the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which normalize metabolic and reproductive processes, improve the condition of the skin and hair, strengthen the vascular walls, and activate the immune system.
refined
High-quality refined deodorized oil is widely used for frying, it is considered a more dietary product with a lower cholesterol content. In cooking, it is mainly used for frying and preserving dishes, it is transparent, does not have a pronounced odor, does not contain sediment, and is perfectly stored for a period of one to three months.
unrefined
This type of sunflower seed pomace gives a product that retains the maximum amount of their original beneficial properties. Therefore, the use of this type is useful for:
- strengthening of cell membranes and vascular walls;
- normalization of the digestive system;
- improving the functioning of the endocrine and genitourinary systems;
- skin strengthening and hair growth.
cold pressed
With cold pressing technology, the beneficial and healing properties of the oil product are best preserved. Therefore, it is used for most recipes of traditional medicine and in cosmetology, as part of masks for hair, face and hands. Such a product perfectly moisturizes dry skin, making it more elastic, activates healing and natural renewal of epithelial cells.
Frozen
Freezing technology cleans the oil product from waxy impurities, thereby increasing transparency. The frozen sunflower oil product is recommended for people on a dietary diet, since the content of harmful impurities in it is minimal. Vegetables are fried and stewed on it, added to light desserts and pastries.
sunflower oil treatment
Useful properties of sunflower oil (unrefined, obtained by cold pressing) are widely used in folk medicine. The simplest and most effective method of strengthening the overall health of the body is to suck on a sunflower oil product in the morning on an empty stomach. The oral cavity is the place where a large number of nerve endings are concentrated, plus due to contact with the salivary glands, the best absorption of the remedy occurs. Take a dessert spoon of oil into your mouth, roll it over the entire cavity for 1.5-2 minutes without swallowing.
To strengthen immunity, it is good to give a teaspoon of a sunflower oil product in the morning to children (this method is especially relevant for the cold season). Unrefined sunflower oil is added to herbal infusions used in the treatment of constipation, diseases of the liver, kidneys, and cholelithiasis. For example, oregano tincture (3 tablespoons of herb per 0.5 liter of oil product) is taken to relieve pain from stomach ulcers.
Sunflower oil in cosmetology
The benefits of vegetable oil for moisturizing the skin and improving its condition lies in the high content of fatty acids in it. The simplest face mask is easy to prepare by mixing:
- unrefined sunflower oil - 15 g;
- steamed oatmeal - 10 g;
- large strawberries - 5 pcs.
Apply the mixture on your face, keep it until it dries completely. After several applications, the skin of the face will be cleansed, tightened, become more elastic, and acquire a fresh healthy look. For hands, a different recipe is used:
- fat cottage cheese - 100 g;
- unrefined sunflower oil - 1 tsp.
Grind cottage cheese with an oil product, apply on clean, dry skin of the hands for 7-10 minutes. Make a mask once a week. To strengthen and activate nail growth, hold your fingertips for two to three minutes three times a week in a mixture of sunflower oil product with lemon juice in a ratio of 1:5. The same mixture can be applied to the hair roots to accelerate growth, reduce the percentage of loss.
Harm of sunflower oil
Use only a fresh product so as not to harm the body by eating pomace from the seeds of any sunflower varieties. Check the expiration date when buying, pay attention to transparency, the absence of sediment or impurities. Store unrefined oil in a glass container, observe the maximum shelf life of an opened bottle - no more than 30 days.
Discuss
The benefits and harms of sunflower oil - the composition of refined and unrefined, price
It is a popular herbal product derived from sunflower seeds. The homeland of this plant is North America, where it was first domesticated by wild tribes of local Indians.
The plant came to Europe around the 1500s. thanks to the Spanish conquerors of America. And in Russia, sunflower appeared at the beginning of the 18th century, during the time of Peter I, where it was brought from Holland. For about a hundred years, this plant was grown only for the sake of its beauty, and any peasant wanted to have a wonderful “sun” in his garden. And only in 1829, one of the peasants of the Voronezh province, Bokarev, received oil from sunflower, which turned out to be pleasant to the taste.
A few years later, the first oil mill in the world was built in the village of this peasant, and a little later, oil was exported abroad. The church appreciated the product and recognized it as lean, after which the second name of the product appeared - vegetable oil. At the end of the 19th century, Soviet emigrants brought oil production technology back to the United States and Canada, and soon the States became the leading producer of this product.
Sunflower oil has a characteristic pleasant aroma and taste. Depending on the level of purification, all oil is divided into unrefined and processed ( refined). The first is exclusively filtered to eliminate impurities, while all valuable components are preserved. This is the most useful type of oil with a characteristic tart smell and a rich, dark color. An unrefined product has a short shelf life, which should be taken into account when buying: in oil that has been standing for a long time on a bright display case, sediment and a rancid taste appear.
Refined oil undergoes neutralization and hydration, deodorization, freezing and bleaching. As a result, residues of pesticides, heavy metals, other harmful impurities and free fatty acids, which cause smoke when frying in a pan, are eliminated from the product. But along with impurities, biological components are also removed: tocopherols, phosphatides, vitamins. During the deodorization process, all aromatic substances are excluded from sunflower oil, which slightly extends the shelf life. Freezing is increasingly being used, which is the removal of the natural waxes that coat sunflower seeds. Such waxes give the oil turbidity, especially when it is sold on the street, in cold rooms, which spoils the presentation. As a result, the refined product is impersonal - odorless, tasteless and colorless. But it can be stored for a long time, and when frying it does not “shoot” and does not foam.
How to choose
When choosing an unrefined product, pay attention to the presence of sediment. Fresh oil may have a slight sediment and cloudiness at the bottom of the container. A quality oil should have a pleasant taste. A bitter taste is a sign of spoilage or stale oil.
To check the quality, put a drop of the product on the skin and rub it. High-quality oil is quickly absorbed into the skin.
How to store
It is better to buy an unrefined product in a small bottle, because after opening the shelf life of sunflower oil decreases dramatically.
The unrefined product after the first use must be stored in a glass container with a closed lid in the refrigerator.
You can add dry beans (2-3 pieces) to the container - this way the product will be stored longer. But remember that in any case, when you open sunflower oil, you need to use it within a month.
In cooking
In cooking, both refined and unrefined oils are used. The first is advised to use for frying and baking: it is golden or light yellow, transparent; smell and taste is weak. There are even varieties of oil, where there is more oleic and palmitic acid than linoleic acid, which is why they are more suitable for frying than others.
Unrefined oil is slightly darker, it smells quite strongly of seeds, forming a precipitate during storage. It does not need to be cooked, but it can be added to salads, ready meals and dressings.
calories
The calorie content of the product per 100 grams is 884 kcal. This should be remembered by those who follow their figure, and do not use oil in large quantities.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
Useful properties of sunflower oil
Composition and presence of nutrients
The composition of this plant product includes linolenic and linoleic unsaturated acids, which the human body itself is not able to synthesize. These acids are called essential acids or vitamin F. The need for them is even higher than for other vitamins.
Unsaturated acids participate as an obligatory component in the formation of sheaths of nerve fibers, as well as cell membranes. They tend to remove cholesterol, forming easily oxidized esters with cholesterol, have a normalizing effect on blood vessels and can be considered as a means of preventing heart attack, atherosclerosis and other diseases of the heart and vascular system.
Sunflower oil also contains vitamins A, E and D. Remember that unrefined oil is healthier, as this product contains all natural ingredients: vitamins and other active substances, which is why it can and should be eaten raw form.
Useful and medicinal properties
For medicinal purposes, it is advised to use unrefined premium oil, which has a pleasant aftertaste and light aroma. If there is sediment in the product, this does not mean that it is of poor quality. On the contrary, a precipitate may arise in it due to the content of phosphatides, which are necessary for cell membranes and are a source of phosphoric acid, without which the body could not work at all.
Sunflower oil is used both in folk and official medicine for the treatment and prevention of various diseases. These are chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, thrombophlebitis, problems with the liver and lungs, women's and cardiovascular ailments, toothache and headache, encephalitis, arthritis, rheumatism, wounds and inflammation. Oil-based solutions are also prepared for plasters and ointments.
In its pure form, this product is rarely used for treatment, but there is one recipe used for many diseases. So, it is advised to take 1 tbsp. oil in your mouth, and suck it for about 20 minutes. Then you need to spit it out: if the product turns white, then the desired effect has been achieved. The procedure is repeated twice a day or even several times a day. This allows you to speed up the healing process. Before using such a prescription, it is better to consult with your doctor.
Even more such harm is manifested when heating one portion of the oil several times. Therefore, be sure to wash the pan after each use. It is important that foreign chemicals may remain in the product after certain processing processes. So, in its composition there are often residues of hexane, a solvent close to gasoline. It is not recommended to use for salads.
Be that as it may, in order to get the maximum benefit from this oil, you can use only its natural varieties. Let them be more odorous and dark, but they will only have a positive effect on health.
Description of the stages of the production of vegetable oil.
Very often the question arises - how does unrefined cold-pressed oil differ from the refined oil familiar to many, which is sold on store shelves. In order to answer this question, Let us consider in detail the production process and its varieties.
Seed processing. The quality of sunflower oil depends on the quality of sunflower seeds supplied for processing, the terms and conditions of storage of seeds before pressing. The main quality characteristics for sunflower seeds are oil content, humidity, ripening period. The oil content depends on the sunflower variety and how warm and sunny the summer turned out to be. The higher the oil content of the seeds, the greater the oil yield. The optimal percentage of moisture content of sunflower seeds supplied for processing is 6%. Seeds that are too wet will store poorly and be heavier. The ripening period in our climatic conditions is a very important factor that indirectly affects the price of sunflower oil. The peak of production and supply of finished vegetable oil is October - December. And the peak of demand is the end of summer - the beginning of autumn. Accordingly, the earlier raw materials are received, the faster the finished product will reach the consumer. In addition, the seeds must be well cleaned, the content of debris should not exceed 1%, and broken grain - 3%. Before processing, additional cleaning, drying, caving (destruction) of the seed peel and separating it from the kernel are carried out. Then the seeds are crushed, mint or pulp is obtained.
Extraction (production) of sunflower oil. Vegetable oil from the mint of sunflower seeds is obtained by 2 methods - pressing or extraction. Oil extraction is a more environmentally friendly way. Although the oil yield, of course, is much less and does not exceed 30%. As a rule, before pressing, the mint is heated at 100-110 ° C in braziers, while mixing and moistening. Then the roasted mint is squeezed out in screw presses. The completeness of the extraction of vegetable oil depends on the pressure, viscosity and density of the oil, the thickness of the mint layer, the duration of the extraction and other factors. The characteristic taste of oil after hot pressing is reminiscent of roasted sunflower seeds. Oils obtained by hot pressing are more intensely colored and flavored due to the breakdown products that form during heating. BUT cold pressed sunflower oil obtained from mint without heating. The advantage of this oil is the preservation of most of the useful substances in it: antioxidants, vitamins, lecithin. The negative point is that such a product cannot be stored for a long time, it quickly becomes cloudy and rancid. The cake remaining after pressing the oil can be subjected to extraction or used in animal husbandry. Sunflower oil obtained by pressing is called raw, because after pressing it is only settled and filtered. Such a product has high taste and nutritional properties.
Extraction of sunflower oil. The production of sunflower oil by extraction involves the use of organic solvents (most often extraction gasolines) and is carried out in special apparatus - extractors. In the course of extraction, a miscella is obtained - a solution of oil in a solvent and a fat-free solid residue - meal. The solvent is distilled off from miscella and meal in distillers and screw evaporators. The finished oil is settled, filtered and further processed. The extraction method for extracting oils is more economical, as it allows the maximum extraction of fat from raw materials - up to 99%.
Refining of sunflower oil. Refined oil has practically no color, taste, smell. This oil is also called impersonal. Its nutritional value is determined only by the minimal presence of essential fatty acids (mainly linoleic and linolenic), which are also called vitamin F. This vitamin is responsible for the synthesis of hormones, maintaining immunity. It gives stability and elasticity to blood vessels, reduces the body's sensitivity to the action of ultraviolet rays and radioactive radiation, regulates the contraction of smooth muscles, and performs many other vital functions. In the production of vegetable oil, there are several stages of refining.
First stage of refining. Getting rid of mechanical impurities - settling, filtration and centrifugation, after which the vegetable oil goes on sale as commercial unrefined.
The second stage of refining. Removal of phosphatides or hydration - treatment with a small amount of hot - up to 70 ° C water. As a result, proteinaceous and mucous substances, which can lead to rapid spoilage of the oil, swell, precipitate and are removed. Neutralization is the effect on the heated oil of the base (alkali). This step removes free fatty acids, which catalyze oxidation and cause smoke when frying. Heavy metals and pesticides are also removed at the neutralization stage. Unrefined oil has a slightly lower biological value than raw oil, since hydration removes part of the phosphatides, but it can be stored longer. Such processing makes the vegetable oil transparent, after which it is called commercial hydrated.
The third stage of refining. Excretion of free fatty acids. With an excess content of these acids, vegetable oil has an unpleasant taste. The vegetable oil that has passed these three stages is called already refined non-deodorized.
Fourth stage of refinement. Bleaching is the treatment of oil with adsorbents of organic origin (most often special clays) that absorb coloring components, after which the fat is clarified. Pigments pass into the oil from the seeds and also threaten to oxidize the finished product. After bleaching, there are no pigments left in the oil, including carotenoids, and it becomes light straw.
Fifth stage of refinement. Deodorization is the removal of aromatic substances by exposing sunflower oil to hot dry steam at a temperature of 170-230°C under vacuum conditions. During this process, odorous substances that lead to oxidation are destroyed. Removal of the above, undesirable impurities leads to the possibility of increasing the shelf life of the oil.
The sixth stage of refinement. Freezing is the removal of waxes. All seeds are covered with wax, this is a kind of protection from natural factors. Waxes make the oil cloudy, especially when sold on the street during the cold season, and thereby spoil its presentation. During the freezing process, the oil turns colorless. After going through all the stages, vegetable 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 hits the shelves as the following products: Refined, non-deodorized oil - outwardly transparent, but with a characteristic smell and color. Refined deodorized oil - transparent, light yellow, odorless and tasteless seeds. Unrefined oil- darker than bleached, maybe with sediment or suspension, but nevertheless it passed the filtration and, of course, retained the smell that we all know from childhood.