The "coal-to-oil" incident was exposed! How should ordinary families consume oil?

Recently, the incident of "tank trucks mixing edible oil and chemical oil" was exposed, which attracted widespread attention from the society.

The oil tanker incident has caused panic among everyone, and it seems that they don’t even know what kind of oil to buy.

So, faced with the various types of oils on the market, how do we choose?

How is the oil fried?

· Pressing method

Pressed oil is a product made by squeezing the oil contained in oilseeds through crushing, embryo rolling, steaming, frying and pressing .

Leaching method

The extraction method uses solvent oil (No. 6 light gasoline) to fully soak the oil raw materials and then extract them at high temperature . It is processed through the "six degreasing" process (i.e. degreasing, degumming, dehydration, decolorization, deodorization, and deacidification). Its biggest feature is high oil yield and low production cost.

What are the common cooking oils on the market?

Rapeseed oil

People with a very sensitive sense of taste may feel that rapeseed oil has a smell. In fact, this is because rapeseed oil of poor quality contains a certain amount of mustard glycosides, but now big brands of rapeseed oil almost do not contain this substance.

Peanut oil

About 80% of peanut oil is unsaturated fatty acids, of which polyunsaturated fatty acids are slightly higher than monounsaturated fatty acids. Peanut oil has a low smoke point and a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, so it is recommended to cook it at medium to low temperatures.

Sunflower oil

Almost 90% of sunflower oil is unsaturated fatty acids, of which the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids is much higher than that of monounsaturated fatty acids. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid accounts for about 66%. It also contains vitamin E, plant sterols, phospholipids, carotene and other nutrients.

However, sunflower oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and is very unstable to heat. It also has an extremely low smoke point. Therefore, it is recommended to be used as the main oil for daily cold dishes and try not to use it for medium or high temperature cooking.

Corn oil

More than 80% of corn oil is unsaturated fatty acids, of which polyunsaturated fatty acids are higher than monounsaturated fatty acids. Corn germ oil has a high content of phytosterols, which helps lower blood lipids. It can be used as the main oil for daily quick stir-frying, and can also be used for frying occasionally, but the oil temperature needs to be controlled.

Walnut oil

Many parents will choose to feed their children walnut oil. Walnut oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, of which linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid are two fatty acids that the human body cannot synthesize by itself and can only obtain from food, so they are also called "essential fatty acids."

The high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids also means that walnut oil is a very unstable cooking oil, so it is best used for cold dishes.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil has become a new favorite in recent years. Many people think that coconut oil is a healthier oil, but it is not. Since coconut oil is obtained from coconut meat, more than 90% of it is saturated fatty acids, and more than half of it is medium-chain fatty acids. Due to its high saturated fat content, authoritative organizations around the world do not recommend frequent consumption.

·olive oil

The proportion of monounsaturated fat in olive oil is very high. Monounsaturated fat does have a good effect on lowering blood lipids and is an important part of the Mediterranean diet.

For infants and young children, monounsaturated fatty acids are not essential fatty acids, and they can be used occasionally. On the contrary, adults should choose more olive oil.

What should we pay attention to when eating oil in daily life?

Pay attention to intake

The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition)" recommends that residents' daily intake of edible oil should be controlled between 25 and 30 grams . Although oily foods are fragrant, for the sake of health, you still need to pay attention to control it.

·Change your diet frequently

This is because changing your diet often can help you take in more types of unsaturated fatty acids, which is healthier. You should know that the chemical structure of fat is triglyceride, which is three fatty acids connected to a glycerol molecule.

The main difference between different edible oils is that the composition of these fatty acids will be different. According to the recommendations of my country's "Dietary Nutrition Guidelines for Chinese Residents" (2022), the intake of saturated fatty acids needs to be controlled, while unsaturated fatty acids should be appropriately consumed more.

In fact, to put it simply: animal oil has a higher content of saturated fatty acids, while vegetable oil has a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. For the sake of health, it is recommended to give priority to vegetable oil.

Look at the smoke point of cooking oil

When heating oil, the temperature at which it starts to smoke is called the "smoke point".

When the oil smokes, it contains acrolein, which is a strong irritant to the eyes and respiratory tract. In addition, oil smoke, like the haze particles in the air, can also increase the risk of lung cancer.

When cooking, we need to choose oils with different smoke points according to different cooking methods. For example, choose oils with high smoke points when stir-frying and oils with low smoke points when mixing cold dishes.

Use new oil

Especially after frying, many families will filter the frying oil and continue to use it. Frying oil can easily produce carcinogens, such as trans fatty acids, benzopyrene, acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, etc. Long-term consumption will bring health risks.

How to choose healthy cooking oil?

·Look at the quality level

Edible oil is divided into four grades: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary (olive oil is a special case, which is divided into virgin olive oil: extra virgin, medium, refined and blended).

Grade one and grade two cooking oils are of high purity, few impurities, clear color, lighter aroma and taste, less oil smoke during cooking, and are suitable for high-temperature stir-frying and frying.

Grade 3 and 4 cooking oils have low purity, many impurities, darker color or moderate turbidity, stronger aroma and taste, produce more fumes during cooking, and are more suitable for low-temperature cooking.

·Look at the craftsmanship

Pressed oil uses physical methods to separate oil from raw materials, retaining more nutrients.

Extracted oil is oil obtained by purification through a series of chemical processes. It has a high oil yield and is relatively cheap.

In fact, no matter which type it is, as long as the oil is purchased from a regular manufacturer and has passed the national standard inspection, there is no need to worry about safety.

·See date

The closer the production date is, the better; the farther the expiration date is, the better.

The shelf life of general cooking oil is 18 to 24 months and it should be stored in a cool, dry, light-proof and sealed place.

Buy small bottles

You should know that once opened, cooking oil will react with air to oxidize, which will accelerate the deterioration of the oil. So try to buy small packages of oil and it is best to consume it within three months after opening.

Finally, we call on businesses to pay more attention to food safety and not let the temptation of profit dilute their respect for food safety.

We can hold ourselves to higher standards, bring healthy edible oil to consumers, and build a solid line of defense for consumers' health with high-quality products.