“Your health is similar to an outfit, looks and feels different to everybody.”
As mentioned in the previous blog, naturally pressing seeds to extract oil from sesame, coconut, groundnut, peanut, olive seeds is generally defined as the cold-pressing process. Which leads to natural and healthy extraction of cold-pressed oil.
A few native words that define cold pressing oil machines are namely - Ghani, Kolhu, and Chekku. This process is brought to a conclusion without the application of heat which turns cold-pressed oils into the purest form of oil against others.
Previously, a perambulating animal was used to grind the oilseeds to extract the oil. Now, mechanical oil pressing machines have replaced the same.
On the contrary, chemically extracted oils from canola, soybean, safflower, sunflower, etc, basically are termed as refined oils. Early 1950s era didn’t witness the existence of these vegetable oils until the advent of chemical and refining techniques. On a serious note, our mind and heart are not meant for this synthetically extracted refined oil.
The Processing of Refined Oil
- The refining of oil demands oilseeds be crushed and scorched at a temperature of about 110-200 (high temperature) degree celsius.
- This mixture then undergoes a chemical process involving hexane solvent to extract remnant oil from the pulp, if any.
Note: Hexane ( basically a solvent or a cleaning agent)used in the extraction of edible oils might turn out to be a cause of concern in terms of CNS effects encompassing, giddiness, nausea, headache, dizziness, etc. in humans if consumption proportion is high.
3. The emanate mixture is then sieved and eventually, phosphate helps in separating the oil from the residual seeds.
4. Then comes into play water degumming. In this stage, water is added which results in hydrated phosphatides. Later, separated either through transfusion or strainers.
5. Next is neutralization: the product obtained after the initial stages usually includes phospholipids, fatty acids, waxes as well as pigments. Now to eliminate these contaminations sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) or sodium carbonate (soda ash) is used.
Note: Refined oil is more likely subject to oxidation, is saccharine, and palish.
6. To make your product attractive you need to get rid of colourants. So here, your bleaching process comes into the picture wherein bleaching agents are used to accomplish the task.
5. And lastly; the high pressurized steam temperature of about 500F is used to eliminate buoyant amalgams (cause off odour and flavour of the end product).
The entire process is the root cause that leads to loss of nutritions and the molecules are forced to act unfavourably. A route to an unhealthy and disease-prone body! These chemically treated oils maintain the same consistency concerning colour, smell, and most importantly the shelf life.
If given a thought, a natural product is exposed to different chemical processes. Do you still think that it will retain its innate character and deliver health benefits? Refined oils are more prone to chronic ailments. These ailments include body inflammation, escalated blood triglycerides, impaired insulin response, and much more.
Presently; refined oils are advertised as “sehat bhi- swaad bhi, say no to cholesterol, no added chemicals and preservatives, rich in vitamins and nutrition, etc. The question is, after going through the facets and process of refining oil, do you still believe these luring taglines or slogans are worth it?
Cold-Pressed VS Refined Oil?
- 2.5kg of groundnuts would extract 1 litre of groundnut oil through a cold-pressed method. However; 2.2kg of groundnuts will extract 1 litre of groundnut oil in case of the refining process.
- The neutralization method used in refining oil consumes lesser quantities of oilseeds. While cold-pressed oil requires a good amount and quality of oilseeds to produce oil or else it won’t take long for a consumer to detect the difference between the quality and other aspects.
- Oil blending practice leads to the excessive use of PALM OIL (nearly 43-45%). What? Are you kidding me? Ah, definitely No! You will barely find palm oil in the grocery store. Why? Because other respected oils are adulterated with the so-called ‘palm oil.’ For what? As the saying goes, “the art is making something out of nothing, and marketing it.”
Still, confused? At Healthy roots, we believe in manufacturing and supplying traditionally processed food LIVE in front of your eyes. Be it oil, flour, or spices- get ready to witness and taste chemical-free healthy food products.
