(ORDO NEWS) — Sunflower oil is commonly used to make fried foods such as croquettes or french fries. However, paradoxically, sunflower oil also cannot withstand high cooking temperatures, so it oxidizes earlier. Olive oil, on the other hand, contains polyphenols, chemicals that minimize oil oxidation.
When sunflower oil is exposed to high temperatures, the fatty acids it contains become harmful as they react with oxygen or with the ingredients we fry and eventually form polymers.
“The formation of polymers during frying is associated with the process of self-oxidation, which occurs with the help of free radicals,” explains the study from the Department of Nutritional Biochemistry at the National University of Tucumán.
What these free radicals do is oxidize the cells in our body, making us more likely to suffer from certain diseases of the cardiovascular and immune systems, and it can also cause cancer.
But another problem with sunflower oil is the creation of acrylamide, a chemical formed when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures. The darker the fried pieces, the more acrylamide they contain.
These processes are carried out when the oil reaches a temperature above 180ºC, which usually always happens with fried foods. Therefore, once used oil should no longer be used.
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