OIL TYPE
Literature
Eating high amounts of fat (especially saturated fat) is associated with heart
disease and stroke.
High trans fat levels (as is found in partially hydrogenated oils) are
associated with heart disease.
It is generally accepted that oil must:
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Perform well during frying
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Have acceptable overall cost
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Have a good nutritional profile
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Be stable at high temperature
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Have a smoke point above 200°C
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Possess good oxidative stability
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Have low levels of trace impurities to prevent degradation during frying
The Heart Foundation has recommendations for frying mediums for fast food
outlets (see below).
Surveys
The high saturated fat in hot chips sold in independent fast food outlets
reflects the high use of tallow-based frying mediums. Shifts in the New Zealand
market for deep-frying mediums have occurred in the last nine years. There has
been a move away from tallow-based products, 82% (reported in 1998 survey) to
61% (reported in 2007 survey), with an increase in both canola and palm-based
products. Neither of these vegetable products is recommended the Heart
Foundation.
Workshop Discussion
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The discussions primarily centered around pricing and supply of oils. It was
generally accepted that oil prices influence operator purchasing.
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One possible solution would be the use of blended products. Prices for these
would be between the prices of tallow and modified oils.
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Although not legally required, the level of product information on frying
mediums from major suppliers, in many instances, is excellent. However in other
instances the labelling is very inadequate with a typical example being a
product labelled simply as vegetable oil with no nutritional detail or country
of origin.
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The criteria for making health claims and nutrient claims (eg “cholesterol
free”) is currently under review by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
Standard
Use a frying oil that meets the Heart Foundation’s criteria:
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Saturated fat equal to, or less than, 20%
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Trans fat equal to, or less than, 1%
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Linolenic acid equal to, or less than, 3%
The types of oils that may meet these recommendations include: high-oleic
sunflower oil and high-oleic, low-linolenic canola oil and some blends.
There are some other oils such as cottonseed and rice bran oil which because
of their saturated fat levels are slightly over the Heart Foundations
guidelines. These still remain good options and a really positive step towards
providing alternatives to beef fat, palm and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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