Is blended oil good? Should I buy it?

Recently, I ran out of oil at home, so I went to the supermarket and bought a barrel of blended oil.

When I brought it home, my mother saw that I bought blended oil and asked: "Why don't you buy peanut oil, but blended oil?" Others say that blended oil is of poor quality and should not be bought. Peanut oil is more fragrant.

I said: This statement is not correct, and it is not healthy to eat peanut oil all the time.

What exactly is blended oil? Is blended oil really of poor quality? Can we eat blended oil? Let's talk about blended oil today.

01What is blended oil?

As the name suggests, blended oil is actually edible oil made by mixing several oils in a certain proportion. To put it bluntly, it is a fat made by mixing several oils.

But because of the traditional Chinese feeling, many people think it is blended when they see the word, which makes people think it is bad. It is not just oil, people always think that artificial blending is bad.

However, scientifically formulated blended oil may be better.

02Are all blended oils of poor quality?

Oils and fats are composed of different fatty acids, and different fatty acid compositions will result in different properties of oils and fats. By scientifically adjusting the proportion of fatty acids, the performance of blended oils may be improved.

Improve performance. For example, in frying, people often use palm oil. But the problem with palm oil is that it contains too much saturated fatty acids and is unhealthy.

But if you use peanut oil or rapeseed oil, they are more sensitive to heat than palm oil, and they will easily go bad and become sticky if you fry them too many times. What should you do?

Scientists have come up with the idea of ​​using blended oil. For example, Jiangnan University has developed a blended oil that is scientifically formulated with high-oleic rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil and other vegetable oils that are mainly unsaturated fats. Its safety and stability under frying conditions are comparable to palm oil. This blended oil has been used in many restaurants and the effect is very good, and there is no need to worry about too much saturated fatty acids.

In addition, scientists also use rice oil, cottonseed oil, olive oil, etc. to blend frying oil. Many studies have found that scientifically proportioned blended oil can have good frying performance.

In addition to improving performance, changing the nutritional composition can also change the nutritional composition of oil by changing the fatty acid ratio of oil. For example, some studies now believe that a higher ratio of n-3 fatty acids is healthier, but we eat more n-6, so scientists can increase the ratio of n-3 fatty acids in oils.

Improve the flavor Chinese people pay attention to the color, aroma and taste of food, and they also attach great importance to the flavor of oil, so various sesame oils are also popular among people. Blending oil can also adjust the flavor of oil. For example, some grain oils have good fatty acid composition but lack fragrance. They can be blended with peanut oil or sesame oil to enhance the flavor and promote appetite.

Therefore, from the original design point of view, blended oil is actually a very good oil. It can be scientifically formulated to improve the nutritional value and performance of the oil.

People have a bad impression of blended oil and even think that it is of poor quality. In fact, it is mainly because there are many types of blended oil on the market and they are mixed. This is also the reason why people are so secretive about blended oil.

03Do you want to eat blended oil?

In fact, for ordinary people, choosing blended oil may be a more convenient way.

Edible oil is an important source of energy and fatty acids. Edible oil contains saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (i.e. essential fatty acids). These three fatty acids are beneficial to the human body and none of them can be missing. Generally speaking, the ratio of saturated fat: monounsaturated fat: polyunsaturated fat is 1:1, which is more appropriate.

In order to obtain rich fatty acids, the Chinese Dietary Guidelines recommend that we change the oil we eat frequently.

However, for many people, changing the oil may be troublesome, and they may not even know how to change it. Moreover, even if they do, many people buy a large barrel, which an average family may need to use for 1-2 months. If they use it for a long time, the intake of fatty acids will actually be relatively monotonous for a long time.

At this time, blended oil is a better choice. It is equivalent to helping you adjust it, saving the trouble of changing it. Therefore, blended oil is still edible.

04How to choose blending oil?

1. Look at the ingredients: see the ingredients clearly to avoid confusion. According to the national standard "GB 7718-2011", various ingredients should be arranged in descending order of added amount, that is, the higher the ranking in the ingredient list, the higher the content.

For example, in the case of olive blended oil, sometimes the word "olive" is written in large letters on the package, while the word "blended oil" is written in small letters. If you don't look carefully, you may mistake it for olive oil. However, olive oil may be listed last in the ingredient list, which means that the olive oil content in this blended oil is the lowest.

The new national standard "GB 2716-2018 Vegetable Oil" requires that the packaging must be marked, so when buying blended oil, you must take a look at the ingredient list to avoid being fooled. If the fatty acid ratio is marked, also pay attention to whether its ratio is scientific.

1. Don't worry about the process: both chemical extraction and physical pressing are safe. Many friends like physically pressed oil, thinking that it is traditional and healthy; but they are disgusted by chemically extracted oil because it will leave chemical residues and affect health.

In fact, these two types of oils are just processed differently. As long as the edible oil meets the national standards, it is safe and can be eaten with confidence. When buying oil, don't pay too much attention to the process. It is safe to choose big brand oils from regular supermarkets.

1. Check the date: Choose the oil with the most recent date. Many people ignore the shelf life and production date when buying oil. For example, the shelf life of oil is generally 18 months. In order to avoid buying oil and then eating it before it expires, it is recommended to choose oil with the most recent production date.
2. Look at the packaging: give priority to small packaged products. It is best to buy small packages. For example, common packaging on the market is 0.9 liters, 1.5 liters, 4 liters, and 5 liters. It is best to buy 0.9 liters and buy more after you finish eating. This is especially true for families with few people and those who cook less frequently, because the oxidation reaction of the oil will be accelerated after opening, and it will easily oxidize and become rancid if left for a long time, and a rancid smell will appear.

References:

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[3] Liu Yulan, Gao Guanyong, Chen Wenna, et al. Study on the quality and performance of special blended oil for frying[J]. China Oils and Fats, 2017, 42(10): 26-30. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-7969.2017.10.006.

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