Heating up Olive Oil?

**swol_je** · 12-22-2008, 02:57 PM

I was told by a friend that when you heat up an oil, like olive oil or the Smart Balance oil that it breaks down the fats and turns them into saturated and unhealthy instead of all the poly and mono. Hope that makes sense. Im not sure if I believe this. What are your thoughts?

**Matt** · 12-22-2008, 03:15 PM

We did this the other day, its a myth, cant remember which thread its in, i shall try and find it for you.

**jimmyinkedup** · 12-22-2008, 03:18 PM

here ya go:

Olive Oil Myth: Olive oil loses its benefits when heated

The Facts: Excessively heating olive oil will evaporate the alcohols and esters which make up its delicate taste and fragrance. Heating olive oil will not change its health aspects, only the flavor. Use a cheaper olive oil which doesn't have much flavor to begin with if you want to fry with it, add a more flavorful olive oil after cooking or at the table.

Olive Oil Myth: Heating a cooking oil will make it saturated or a trans-fatty oil.

The Facts: As far as making a saturated fat, according to Dr. A. Kiritsakis, a world renowned oil chemist in Athens, (Book - OLIVE OIL FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE -Second edition 1998), all oils will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. Olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil are both highly monounsaturated oils and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem.

The large refinery-like factories which take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 250 to 400 degree hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. We don't know where this weird notion has come from. For more see our olive oil chemistry page

Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove.

Olive Oil Myth: Cooking in olive oil diminishes the nutritional value of the food.

Olive Oil Fact: Heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. I am not aware of any edible cooking oil which of itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it. Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them raw. A touch of a flavorsome olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the "Mediterranean diet" which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits.
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**Matt** · 12-22-2008, 03:22 PM

There you go, thanks jimmy

**sizerp** · 12-22-2008, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by swol_je

I was told by a friend that when you heat up an oil, like olive oil or the Smart Balance oil that it breaks down the fats and turns them into saturated and unhealthy instead of all the poly and mono. Hope that makes sense. Im not sure if I believe this. What are your thoughts?

When you heat oil past a certain point (temperature depends on which oil) the chemical structure is changed and hydrogen bubbles are added to the molecules; the fatty acids acquire some of the hydrogen and become more solid.

Healthy fatty acids become trans fatty, which increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and decrease HDL (good cholesterol) levels. These fats are actually far more damaging than saturated fats. Trans fatty acids bioaccumulate (trouble digesting) in the body, can lead to weight gain, and are linked to diabetes.

Trans fats can be double linked, cross-linked, bond-shifted, twisted, or just plain messed up:P They interfere with lipid metabolism and are basically regarded as poisons since our bodies can't defend against them. Try to avoid eating them!

**swol_je** · 12-22-2008, 03:28 PM

Nice I guess I havent searched for this in a few weeks didnt know it had been asked, thanx guys.

**sizerp** · 12-22-2008, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by jimmyinkedup

here ya go:

Olive Oil Myth: Olive oil loses its benefits when heated

The Facts: Excessively heating olive oil will evaporate the alcohols and esters which make up its delicate taste and fragrance. Heating olive oil will not change its health aspects, only the flavor. Use a cheaper olive oil which doesn't have much flavor to begin with if you want to fry with it, add a more flavorful olive oil after cooking or at the table.

Olive Oil Myth: Heating a cooking oil will make it saturated or a trans-fatty oil.

The Facts: As far as making a saturated fat, according to Dr. A. Kiritsakis, a world renowned oil chemist in Athens, (Book - OLIVE OIL FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE -Second edition 1998), all oils will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. Olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil are both highly monounsaturated oils and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem.

The large refinery-like factories which take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 250 to 400 degree hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. We don't know where this weird notion has come from. For more see our olive oil chemistry page

Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove.

Olive Oil Myth: Cooking in olive oil diminishes the nutritional value of the food.

Olive Oil Fact: Heating food will break down its nutritional value. High heat such as frying is worse than moderate heat such as steaming, which is worse than eating vegetables raw. It is not the cooking oil per se, but the high heat of frying. I am not aware of any edible cooking oil which of itself diminishes the nutritional value of the food cooked in it. Most nutritionists recommend lightly steaming vegetables or eating them raw. A touch of a flavorsome olive oil added at the table will add taste and healthful anti-oxidants. Such is the "Mediterranean diet" which has been shown to help prevent coronary disease and have other health benefits.
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Hmn interesting, so you're saying that to become partially/fully hydrogenated, oils must be processed in a factory? And cooking olive oil on the oven will not produce trans-fatty acids?

Ok so dude, just don't buy anything with partially/hydrogenated oils, and consume it