Rich and aromatic olive oil Like wine, it comes down to personal preference. In his unusual taste residents of many regions have long been convinced of its beneficial properties, and the production of this product has become a profitable and large-scale process. The wide variety of products available in retail outlets around the globe often confuses the average consumer. Many buyers do not know which one to buy and which olive oil is healthier, because taste qualities product can vary greatly, and its price fluctuate over a wide range.
Factors affecting the taste and beneficial properties of oil are:
- ripeness and type of olives;
- method and timing of harvesting;
- soil conditions and the place where the olives were grown;
- length of time between harvesting and pressing;
- spin technique;
- term and method of storage;
- package.
The choice of product should be determined depending on the above factors, as well as the ultimate goal pursued by the person. For example, to improve your health (when using the product raw), you should choose natural varieties, and using high-quality "extra-virgin" frying oil is likely to be a waste of money.
Types of unrefined olive oil
According to the standards of the International Olive Oil Council, there are three main varieties of this product (natural, refined and pomace), within each of which several types are distinguished.
All types of "extra-virgin" and "virgin" are a natural product of the first pressing, as a result of which about 90% of the juice of the olives is released. This unrefined olive oil, in the production of which chemical and heat treatment is not used. "virgin" varieties are considered the most beneficial for health, but "extra virgin" is different the best taste and aroma, and also contains the maximum amount of useful substances and vitamins, which causes its increased cost.
- "Premium extra-virgin olive oil" - due to its extremely low acidity and high quality, it is used raw in dishes where it can be appreciated refined taste and aroma. This olive oil should be used as a dressing for salads, as a sauce for bread or as a condiment.
- "Extra-virgin olive oil" - has a characteristic fruity taste and can have colors from pale yellow to light green. Its acidity is not more than 0.8%. Such unrefined oil not used for frying, but used as a dressing for cold dishes.
- "Fine virgin olive oil" - has good taste, and its acidity level is not more than 1.5%. It costs an order of magnitude cheaper than the previous two, but is as close as possible in quality and can be used raw.
- "Virgin olive oil" - is also a natural unrefined product, the acidity of which is less than 2%. It is used both for cooking and as a dressing or sauce.
- "Semifine virgin olive oil" - olive oil with an acidity of not more than 3.3%. Most often used for food preparation.
Olive oil not suitable for human consumption (due to bad taste or smell, acidity level above 3.3%) is sent for further refinement. It can be subjected to thermal and chemical treatment, as well as filtration. After processing, the oil loses its specific smell and taste, and its acidity level is about 0.3%, which increases the shelf life of the product. This is its only main advantage. Refined olive oil contains only a small amount of useful substances capable of benefiting the human body.
Unrefined olive oil is much healthier than refined olive oil. It has a strong aroma and taste, big amount nutrients and vitamins, and its consumption in its raw form can improve the functioning of many physiological systems of the body and prevent the development of serious medical problems.
The main health benefits of unrefined oil are:
- Improved sex life.
- Prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
- weight loss
- Prevention of the development of diabetes.
- Improving metabolism.
- Slowing down the aging process of the skin.
- Prevention of the formation of gallstones.
- strengthening immune system person.
- Prevention and slowing down the development of cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease.
- Improvement of the digestive tract.
- Prevention of the development of cancerous tumors.
In addition, natural olive oil has an anti-inflammatory effect, improves the condition of the skin and hair, and its use during pregnancy can improve the psychomotor reflexes of the child being born, which also indicates the undeniable benefits of this product and the need to introduce it into the diet on an ongoing basis.
Based on materials
- bodyandsoul.com.au
- recipes.howstuffworks.com
Vegetable oil has varieties depending on the origin and methods of production. Let us dwell on the classification according to the second of these signs and find out how refined oil differs from unrefined oil.
General information
In order to obtain the product in question, the seeds are first pressed, cold or hot. In the latter case, the mass is preheated, due to which the oil yield increases. However, only pressing does not allow the use of culture for these purposes to the maximum. Therefore, they resort to extraction. It is carried out with the use of certain auxiliary substances, which are removed from the product at the end of the process.
Comparison
After the described methods of processing raw materials, as well as filtration, unrefined oil is obtained. It, especially cold-pressed, retains a large set of useful substances. Such a product is saturated in terms of taste and aroma. Salads seasoned with it become more appetizing.
Unrefined oil is also suitable for other cold dishes: all kinds of snacks, seasonings, sauces. But it is not intended for frying and baking foods. With strong heating of this oil, burning and fumes quickly appear, and harmful compounds are also formed. For such cooking methods, a refined version is used, which calmly tolerates heat treatment.
The difference between refined oil and unrefined oil lies not only in resistance to temperature effects, but also in external characteristics. The refined product has a more marketable appearance. It is a pure golden composition, while the unrefined counterpart looks darker, it may have a precipitate. This difference is due to manufacturing technology.
Refined oil goes through many more processing steps. On each of them, it loses some of its qualities. The output is a product without impurities, clarified and without a pronounced smell and taste. Therefore, it is good in those dishes where notes of other ingredients are important, but not oil. This composition performs an auxiliary function in cooking and is not rich in vitamins.
What is the difference between refined and unrefined oil, if we compare the conditions and terms of their storage? The fact that the first product in this respect is less whimsical. Refined oil does not spoil, being in a normal room for a long time. Unrefined - afraid of constant exposure to light and heat. To exclude the influence of these factors, it is better to keep a container with such oil in the refrigerator.
Everyone knows about the benefits of vegetable oils today, and we have plenty to choose from: the assortment is so rich that buyers of the former, “Soviet” times could not even imagine that there are so many types and varieties of vegetable oils in the world, and surprisingly tasty and healthy .
Vegetable oil is necessary for a person for good nutrition, as it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that protect our cells from negative influences and destruction, as well as many vitamins and nutrients.
And how to choose from all this abundance the oil that will really benefit?
First of all, any oils are used to be divided into refined and unrefined. And if earlier, several decades ago, unrefined oil was considered almost a product for the poor, today the situation has changed dramatically, and it is unrefined oils that are considered the best and healing, and about refined oil they say that there is nothing useful left in it. Where is the truth?
The usefulness of vegetable oil depends mainly on its composition, the ratio of fats and acids, and these parameters remain practically unchanged even after refining. So, the benefits of oil should not be judged from this point of view. Nevertheless, the stages of refining are also different, and here you need to learn how to understand.
Why is oil refined?
Why refine the oil if it does not affect its composition? First of all, this is done in order to make it neutral, almost tasteless. This may seem completely unnecessary, but you should not generalize too much - after all, oil in cooking is used to prepare many dishes, and they are completely different, both in composition and in the method of preparation. Dressing salads and some snacks is better with unrefined oil, since these dishes are not cooked, besides, the oil will add extra flavor to the salad.
If vegetable oil is used for cooking hot dishes, for frying or baking food, then unrefined oil can do more harm than good - due to the formation of smoke, burning, foam, bad smell and taste. Unrefined oil, when overcooked, can also contribute to the formation of certain harmful substances in food, especially at high temperatures.
Oil refining methods
Vegetable oil in modern industry is refined in two ways: physical and chemical. The physical method usually involves the use of adsorbents, and the chemical method involves the use of alkalis. Most often, the chemical method is used, because it is simpler, better worked out, and the quality of the resulting product is also easier to control.
Manufacturers of oil refined in this way assure that consumers have nothing to fear, and no harmful impurities enter the composition of the final product, because the safest alkalis allowed for food processing are used in production. In addition, the oil is well washed, and even traces of chemicals do not remain in it. I really want to believe that this is actually the case ...
What is the difference between refined and unrefined oils?
Refined oil differs from unrefined oil not only in taste, or rather, in its absence, but also in that it does not smoke and does not form foam when cooking hot dishes.
Oil frying
At the very least, in order for the refined oil to start smoking, the pan must be fairly hot. The temperature at which an oil begins to smoke is considered the smoke point, and it must be said that different oils she is different.
In the process of frying, if the oil smokes and burns, carcinogens are formed, and everyone has heard about their harm. For example, acrolein, the simplest aldehyde, formed in fumes over a hot frying pan, has a toxic effect on the mucous membranes of the eyes and irritates Airways leading to the development of various inflammatory diseases.
If a cook constantly breathes acrolein fumes when preparing dishes, then in the end he will acquire a whole bunch of chronic diseases, besides, the quality of the prepared dishes will be far from the best. So for frying, you need to use only refined oil, and do not overheat the pan.
Other harmful substances, such as fatty acid polymers and free radicals, are also formed at the smoking point of oils, and they remain in the composition of cooked dishes. If you often eat such dishes, then this can lead to chronic health problems, including the development of oncology.
The brown skin on the fried potatoes we love so much contains acrylamide, a substance that also has carcinogenic properties and can even destroy DNA. Most of the acrylamide is formed if you deep-fry potatoes for a long time - for example, as they do at McDonald's.
What is not contained in overcooked meat or fish: heterocyclic amines are formed inside the piece, which can cause heart disease, and in burnt roast - polycyclic carcinogens with a large amount of carbon. Most often this happens if the oil is not used for the first time, and the pan is very hot.
The next carcinogens that are often formed during frying are peroxides, and most of them are formed during frying on sunflower oil, so common in Central Russia. Therefore, it is best to use olive oil for frying - it practically does not form carcinogens. No wonder the Mediterranean diet, in which the main vegetable oil is traditionally olive, is considered the most beneficial for health.
Based on the above, it is not difficult to understand that oil, both refined and unrefined, must be used correctly - and then problems with nutrition and health will not arise.
Which oil is healthier: refined or unrefined?
And yet, you should know that it is unrefined vegetable oils that are most useful, obtained by cold pressing at low temperatures - not higher than 45 ° C. These oils have a rich color, a characteristic smell for each type and a real, natural taste.
It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of using such oil, but some rules must be remembered.
You can not store "live" oil in heat, in the light and in the open air - so it will quickly lose all its beneficial features, becomes cloudy, becomes bitter and tasteless, and will only harm the body.
Unrefined oil generally has a short shelf life - and, perhaps, this is its main drawback, so it is better to store it in the refrigerator, in a glass bottle, and not use it after the expiration date.
Refined oils are the most commonly found in our retailers and can last much longer. However, no matter how manufacturers assure us, many refined oils contain almost no vitamins, and few useful substances; this is especially true for hot processed oils up to 200°C. Perhaps that's why some refined oil manufacturers tell consumers that it can be stored in the light and it won't go bad—because there's almost nothing to go bad.
So, refined oil should be used only for frying and baking foods, and add unrefined oil to salads, vinaigrettes, snacks and seasonings - this way you get all the best that is in vegetable oil from nature.
Gataulina Galina
for women's magazine website
When using and reprinting the material, an active link to the women's online magazine is required
Our compatriots heard about refined vegetable oil not so long ago.
The flagship in the expanses of the post-Soviet space was TM "Oleina" - its advertising appeared in the late 90s, or rather in 1997.
Until that time, there was no special variety of oils, only the usual unrefined.
It was used both for salads and for frying, though not everyone liked the taste and smell of such “goodies”, too bright relish gives unrefined oil to the products that are fried on it.
And yet, under the influence of high temperatures, it releases harmful substances that adversely affect the human body.
Having tried purified (refined) oil, none of the housewives returned to unrefined oil, at least for frying.
Crude oil is today used only for consumption in fresh which, however, is correct..
Affordable cost, economical consumption, the complete absence of smell and taste of vegetable oil, as well as burning during cooking brought national love and recognition to the refined product.
At one time, it completely ousted the unrefined from the store shelves, in which advertising played an important role.
She focused the attention of potential consumers on the fact that foods prepared with refined oil are dietary and low in calories.
It is good that over time these two types of oils divided the market, because, in fact, they are not competitors, they are both healthy in their own way, each of them has its own field of application, its own advantages and disadvantages.
Refined vs Unrefined Oil: What's the Difference?
The key difference between unrefined and refined vegetable fat is the way they are produced.
If we omit the details of the vegetable oil manufacturing processes that dictate the rules of ultra-profitable commerce, then ideally they should look like this.
To obtain the most useful unrefined oil, raw materials (for our latitudes, these are sunflower, corn, flax, pumpkin seeds, for warm countries, these are olives, sesame, almonds and other oilseeds) are subjected to powerful presses, that is, they are thereby obtained by cold pressing.
It will be a virgin oil obtained by cold pressing. But since it is impossible to squeeze out all the oil from the raw material in this way, an extraction method was invented to help him, which is used after pressing.
The essence of the extraction is to heat the remains of the cake, treat them with organic (I would like to believe in this) solvents, which increase the return of the oil, and then are removed from the final product.
Thus, re-pressed oil is obtained, it is no longer as valuable and useful as what is obtained in the first pressing by a press.
As for refined vegetable oil, the raw material for its production is unrefined product. During forced refining, various impurities are removed from it:
- aromatic and flavoring substances;
- those that can precipitate and spoil the view finished product- phospholipids;
- pigments (refined oil is almost colorless);
- all waxy substances and the wax itself, which cause the oil to become cloudy;
- unbound fatty acids and others.
This is a brief description of the technologies for obtaining oils. Today, unfortunately, the production of vegetable oils is primarily a big business, which involves the use of far from harmless technologies. 
They allow you to get a market product with minimal material and time costs.
In some varieties of refined vegetable oil, all components useful for the body may be completely absent, and very harmful ones may be present instead.
Therefore, any oil should be bought only from trusted manufacturers, and preferably directly at oil mills, if possible.
Vegetable unrefined oil - benefits
Crude oil is a storehouse of vitamins and components valuable for the body. It is very tasty and fragrant, makes the usual dishes richer, richer.
But it can't be on it! to fry, to get the maximum benefit, you need to use such oil only fresh.
1. Saturates the body with vitamins.
2. Indispensable fatty acids(which one depends on the type of oil).
3. Supplier of antioxidants.
4. Is excellent tool prevention of thrombus formation and atherosclerosis.
5. Stimulates the production of growth hormone in children and adolescents.
6. Regular use such vegetable fat improves the condition of hair, nails, skin.
7. Beneficial effect on the state of the nervous system.
8. Used in cosmetology for the preparation of nourishing and rejuvenating formulations.
9. Normalizes the functions of the organs of the reproductive system in men and women.
10. Increases the body's immune properties.
11. Improves the permeability of nerve impulses through cell membranes.
12. Is a mandatory component healthy eating.
13. Normalizes metabolic processes in the body.
Despite obvious benefit cold-pressed oils should be consumed in very limited quantities - a couple of tablespoons per day, but regularly.
Refined oil, of course, loses in terms of benefits to unrefined oil, since it contains much less of those natural biologically active components with which the crude product is saturated.
But it is ideal for cooking dietary wholesome food- stewed, baked and even fried, if you don’t eat a lot of it every day.
Many are skeptical about refined vegetable oils, but without them, one would have to completely switch to boiled food, or quite harmful, fried in animal fats.
And so, refined, like the golden mean - it is universal, suitable for gas stations and for heat treatment products.
In conclusion, it can be said that there should be two types of oil on the table- one for use pure form outwardly and inwardly, and the other so that food gives maximum benefit and enjoyment for eaters. Be healthy.
Vegetable oil made from sunflower seeds, olives, sesame, corn, rapeseed today occupies an important place in the food set of every person. We choose to the table, depending on our own preferences, refined and unrefined oils, the difference between which lies in the type of processing of the product. For each culinary specialist, there are preferred varieties, brands and volumes of such ingredients added to certain dishes.
Vegetable oil is very useful for the body. But in order for the use of this product to have only benefits and not even minimal harm is expected, you need to choose correct oil. And the first question that arises when choosing good option: is it better to buy refined or unrefined oil? What are the differences and features of these two different products in terms of processing? Let's try to delve into this question and find a fair answer that will help you choose the right food option for your health.
What is the difference between refined oil and unrefined oil. Product options
In order to understand the difference between refined oil and unrefined oil, it is worth understanding what refining is. In fact, this is a type of product purification from impurities and some elements. This process is carried out by means of a chemical or physical method. Purification technology involves evaporation, filtration, neutralization of the substances that make up the product. In order to obtain refined oil, the liquid is subjected to multi-stage purification, deodorization, clarification. The product of final processing has a light transparent shade, almost does not smell, does not foam during thermal exposure. It would seem, not an ingredient, but a find! But all these advantages are not so unambiguous.
Unrefined oil is an unrefined product. But what is it not cleansed of? What impurities or elements of the composition of an oil, such as sunflower, can we consider superfluous? During the refining process, almost everything that can be considered valuable in this product is removed from the structure. Only fats and a small part of the other composition remain.
It turns out that refined oil is a product purified from everything! There is almost nothing useful in it, and nothing useful either. Only the consistency and properties remain: lubricating effect, anti-adhesive effect, softening ability. All these qualities are often used to improve the taste and texture of dishes. But can we get something else useful from refined oil? It's worth thinking about it!
Which oil is healthier and better: refined or unrefined?
Going to the supermarket to fill the cart with delicious and useful products, you should think about what exactly you should choose for yourself and your family. Which oil is healthier and better: refined or unrefined? Let's take a closer look at both oils.
Refined:
- almost colorless or has a barely perceptible yellowish tint;
- does not have a pronounced taste or is completely devoid of any flavor;
- does not foam during frying;
- has good lubricating and softening abilities;
- combined with a number of staple foods in the diet of more people;
- almost does not change the taste of the products.
Unrefined:
- has a pleasant amber hue;
- It has pleasant taste depending on the basis (seed, corn, olive);
- foams slightly during frying;
- well lubricates and softens;
- combines with a large number of products;
- affects the taste of the food.
To each of the lists of product features, I would like to add a point about the content of useful substances: vitamins, microelements, bioactive components. In the case of the refined version, this point will be almost negative. Most of the useful components are removed during cleaning. That is, in fact, refined oil no longer contains the amount of vitamins that it originally had, and unrefined oil retains a high proportion of the content of all substances important for the body.
Based on all this, let's try to answer the question: what is better and healthier - refined or unrefined oil? If we look at this issue from the point of view of choosing a product that fits perfectly into a healthy diet, then unrefined oil should definitely be preferred. Here you ask: "How possible harm from those substances that remained as a result of the lack of purification? We will answer: "No harm in moderate, correct use vegetable product and cannot be. But the benefits of a natural, unmodified product, which contains valuable fatty, semi-saturated acids, amino acids, vitamins, etc., are definitely there.”
As an example, let's analyze the composition of sunflower oil, which has not undergone a cleansing treatment. The composition includes: vitamins E and A, omega-3, -6 acids, oleic acid. Saturation of the body with these and other components contributes to:
- preservation of youth and elasticity of tissues (skin, hair, nail plate);
- building a strong immune system;
- stabilization of the balance of nutrients in the body;
- improving bowel function;
- normalization of the hormonal background.
Vegetable oil gently envelops the gastric mucosa, which creates a natural protection against mechanical microtrauma, the introduction of pathogenic microflora. The antioxidant effect of vegetable oils has also been proven. The use of this product during a weight loss diet is very beneficial.
What does refined oil mean?
Consider what is refined oil. This is a refined product that does not stand out too much in taste and aroma. However, culinary specialists note a very bright softening effect and separating ability. By adding this oil to any culinary product, you can achieve reliable mixing without gluing the components of the products. At the same time, the taste of the dish does not change. Beneficial refined oil for frying - it does not burn and does not foam. When using this variation of grease for the bottom of the dishes, you will not encounter soot and burning smell in the kitchen.
But if we talk about a healthy diet, where it is completely unacceptable to eat fried foods, then this ability immediately loses its value.
So what does refined oil mean? This means that it is a purified product that has retained its physical (not all) qualities and mechanical abilities. But this food component has almost no benefit to the human body. Refined oil is purified from all useful! Is a similar product needed on the table of a person who has chosen the path of a healthy diet? The answer is obvious! This oil - in terms of healthy nutrition- absolutely empty.
The benefits of unrefined oil
Want to deal with useful qualities unrefined oil. Many may decide that an unrefined product suggests harm to the body. This is wrong! Unclean does not mean dirty. Oil that has not been refined undergoes minimal purification. During this cleaning process, a suspension of impurities is removed, and elements that affect the transparency, color and softness of the texture are eliminated.
Vegetable oils that have not undergone deep purification retain a variety of useful qualities.
However, it is worth noting a number of features of such a product that can be considered disadvantages:
- the unrefined product is sensitive to light;
- has a shorter shelf life;
- may be bitter;
- not suitable for heat treatment;
- it has a bright taste shade (this can be considered both a minus and a plus).
To a natural product, the attitude should be reverent. It is important to take into account the features of application, storage, selection. However, for experienced chefs and housewives will not be difficult to remember some of the rules for using natural, unrefined vegetable oil.
What happens if you choose refined oil?
A reasonable question - is there any harm from using a refined product? Many people think that great harm purified oil does not apply to the body. This is not true at all. After all, the refining process involves the use of substances and compounds such as phosphates, silicates, poisons. Gasoline is often used for cleaning. Do you think that the absorption of these chemical elements with food is harmful to the health of the body? The answer is clear and simple! Carries.
However, choosing such a variant of the culinary component, in addition to the obvious harm, you cause damage to your health by depriving yourself of the benefits that a good natural version of food gives.
And if your body does not regularly receive valuable trace elements and biologically active substances contained in a particular product, you need to either find a replacement for this source (but it is not always there), or accustom yourself to healthy food. What are the reasons for preferring the less useful option?
- The price of vegetable oils of any level of processing is almost in an equal cost range. Plus/minus 20 rubles won't do much for the family budget.
- Any product options today are easy to find on the shelves of standard supermarkets, markets, grocery stores. Therefore, the problem of accessibility is definitely unfamiliar to the modern consumer.
- Some people consider a special taste natural oils not very familiar. In fact, natural taste natural product more natural and pleasant. Do not add too many oily additions to dishes. It only takes a little valuable product to spice up a combination of vegetables or add zest to some other dishes.
Another feature of unrefined oil is that you need very little of it to provide your body with the necessary saturation with benefits and health!
