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Edible oil analysis: A guide for beginners

Jul 29, 2024

Article

In this blog post, you can learn what edible oil is, how it is made, how to test it, and what parameters are important to analyze for quality and safety.
 

Click below to jump directly to each topic:

What is edible oil?

Edible fats or cooking oils are considered suitable for human consumption and are mainly used for food or in cosmetic products. They contain important vitamins as well as saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acids. Both edible fats and oils consist mainly of water-insoluble esters of fatty acids and glycerol, called glycerides.

Fats and oils are generally classified according to whether they are solid or liquid at room temperature. A basic differentiation is made between vegetable fats and oils from the seeds and fruits of oil plants, and fats and oils derived from animal sources. However, synthetic edible fats and oils can be produced from raw materials using chemical processes such as the Fischer–Tropsch process.

In general, the higher the proportion of unsaturated fats (especially polyunsaturated fatty acids), the healthier the fat or oil. Sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and olive oil are particularly high in unsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Although they can be used for cooking and frying, they are best eaten in their natural state. On the other hand, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butterfat, and palm oil are very high in saturated fats. They are mainly used for baking, roasting, frying, and for manufacturing industrial soaps or cosmetics.

Examples of edible oils (click to expand):

Sunflower oil in a jar with sunflower seeds scattered around and two sunflowers behind it.

Sunflower oil is very popular because it can be used as a frying oil at very high temperatures. Because of its neutral flavor and high smoke point, it is often used during baking to improve the flavor and texture of baked goods. Sunflower oil is also used in skincare products due to its unsaturated fatty acid and vitamin E content, as it is an emollient, has moisturizing and anti-inflammatory effects, and protects against UV damage. 

Canola oil, also known as rapeseed oil, poured from a bottle into a glass bowl sitting in front of yellow flowers.

Rapeseed oil (also known as canola oil) is tasteless and retains its fluidity even at cooler temperatures. It is a common ingredient in mayonnaise because of its neutral flavor and light color, and gives mayonnaise a creamy texture. Because of its neutral flavor and high smoke point, rapeseed oil is also used to make fried food and crunchy snacks such as French fries and popcorn. 

Close-up photo of a spoonful of opaque white coconut oil dripping into a glass jar.

Coconut oil is often used in food products for its ability to add a slightly coconut taste and aroma and because it remains stable at high temperatures. It is a solid at room temperature due to its high saturated fat content, but melts at approximately 24 °C. For this reason, coconut oil is often hydrogenated for use in warmer climates, raising its melting point to the range of 36–40 °C. Coconut oil is particularly preferred in vegan baking as it can act as a butter alternative. It is also used in the cosmetics industry especially for hair and body moisturizers.