Corn and sunflower oil. Which one is more useful?

The first thing to do is to realize that any oil is primarily vegetable fat and all the benefits of any oil are concentrated in this fat, or rather in its chemical composition. All the legends about the richest vitamin composition and its indescribable indispensability, benefits are rather marketing ploys than objectively helping us live, properties. As an example, it is difficult to find a "smart guy" who drinks at least 50 grams of raw sunflower oil in order to enrich his body with a daily supply of tocopherols.

That is why we will make a comparison of two oils intended primarily for thermal processing of products: frying and deep fat. To do this, we study the labels of refined deodorized oils of the "P" brand (we buy them most often) and draw certain conclusions. Polyunsaturated acids (PUFA, vitamin F) are the best building materials for the cells of our body, they prevent the accumulation of cholesterol. The higher this indicator, the more useful the oil is, in a cold (not thermally heated) form. But it is important to note that a balance of these acids must be present in the body. This ratio should be at least 1: 5 (1 - Omega-3, 5 - Omega-6), otherwise these vitamins become not so useful, and possibly harmful. The second advantage of sunflower oil is the lower content of saturated fatty acids. The difference is certainly not so significant, given the fluctuations in the composition of the oils (which may lead to opposite indicators), but still ... theoretically.

Saturated fatty acids are undesirable for consumption. They have much less benefits than "omegas" and rather even harm - they help cholesterol "settle" on the walls of our vessels. Than reduce their patency (and therefore, indirectly, increase pressure), as well as stimulate their blockage and thinning (which is fraught with various types of strokes and heart disease). Fearfully? That's the same. But under some circumstances, corn oil is not a miss either. Its benefits are much more emphasized with prolonged and higher temperature heating. And monounsaturated acids - Omega-9 serve this.

While the specific benefits of Omega-9 acids have not yet been fully established, it is known for certain that they are much more resistant to heat. And this is a very important point in the culinary processing of products. Unlike the "capricious" Omega-3 and Omega-6, they stably retain their structure: they are minimally oxidized and converted into a trans form. You need to focus on the moments of oxidation and trans-form ... I try to explain it in a simple and accessible language to most:

OXIDATION. In simple terms, this is a clear damage to the product, a change in its physical and taste factors as a result of contact with atmospheric oxygen. And if for vegetable oil it is not so obvious: in most cases it simply tastes bitter, without showing any other signs of unsuitability, then for other substances it is more obvious. Here are a couple of examples: rusty metal (rust is a consequence of oxidation) or sour milk (the same). Once again, I think it is not necessary to wonder about the suitability of these units. :)

So the "omegas" (mentioned in the composition of sunflower oil) are unstable in their essence. They are more "happy" than "non-omegas" are oxidized, and the higher the temperature, the faster. Therefore, the higher the heating temperature, the faster the oil deteriorates and, accordingly, the more polyunsaturated acids (Omega) it contains, the more it is susceptible to oxidation. Because of this, corn oil is better suited for high-temperature cooking. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that significant and rapid oxidation of vegetable oil occurs at temperatures above 180 ° C, and conventional frying of products is carried out at a temperature of 165 ° C.

TRANS-FORM. This is another unpleasant feature (ability) of omega fats. Polyunsaturated fats (of which there are less of them in corn oil) have such a nasty property - to turn into trans fats. Which requires a separate explanation. Trans fats are kind of "shape-shifters," "werewolves," "wolves in sheep's clothing," if you like. The human body is unable to distinguish between a normal "omega" (qi isomer) from a changed one (trans isomer) and it uses it in the construction of our cells, just as if everything is normal with it! But she is no longer good ... and is capable of causing trouble with our health ... this is the very "weak link".

I am showing you a blatant (perhaps not the most correct, but very illustrative) "trans example" ... Imagine that you are an absolutely confident (quite justifiably) young man who meets a pretty girl. The sowing maiden is very good-looking, outwardly: chic strands of hair, slender and attractive in figure, graceful, well-mannered and, moreover, a pleasant companion. Well, just lust! And you, as a recognized connoisseur of ladies' hearts, are completely confident in your further actions ... and what will be the disappointment and bewilderment to realize that this lady is a husband! Do you understand what I mean? So our body does not have the ability to preliminary determine ... even if the correct fat, even the wrong one, is equivalent to the body. He doesn't see the difference in them