Plant oil

Description

Cooking oil, plant oil or salad oil are terms for a mixture of oils from different sources.

If the source of the oil is named (e.g. rapeseed oil, sunflower oil), then it must contain at least 97% of oil from that plant; if in addition it is termed pure or authentic, then it must contain 100%.

• The most important oil plants that are processed in Germany are rapeseed, sunflowers, soya and coconut palms.
• Other oils are processed from thistles, olives, maize or wheat germ, cottonseed, linseed, nuts (walnuts, peanuts) or kernels (grape kernels or pumpkin seed).
• The respective physical (consistency, spreadability) and nutritional/physiological characteristics are determined by the different fatty acids comprising the oils. Polyunsaturated fats are considered beneficial to health.

Oils can be obtained from plants by pressing or by extraction. Some oils, such as soya oil or rapeseed oil have to be refined to make them edible. Through this process the undesired flavourings, mucilage or residues are removed using solvents..

During refining plant DNA is removed. Therefore, in oil that has been refined, it is not possible to detect the use of genetically modified plants.

Liquid oils have to be hydrogenated so that they can obtain a solid or spreadable consistency (see also: plant fat).

Application

Cooking oils are used unprocessed, or are used in liquid or solid form as ingredients of countless processed food products, such as:

• in margarine, as deep frying, shallow frying and baking fat
• in ice cream,, confectionery, glazing, nut-nougat cream
• in convenience foods
• in mayonnaise, dressings and tinned fish

Gene technology

Various oil-producing plants or oil seeds are commercially cultivated and processed:

• soja (USA, Argentina, Brazil; large quantities of soya primary products are imported into the EU)
• rapeseed (Canada)
• maize (USA, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, among others)
• cotton (USA, Australia, China, among others)
• flax / flax seed (approved in Canada but not yet cultivated).

  Genetically modified varieties of rapeseed and maize are also being tested in Europe and are undergoing field trials on limited areas.

Gene technology is also being applied to other plants:

• e.g. sunflowers, walnuts

To produce fats with the optimal characteristics, the different fatty acids can be replaced (transesterified). For this the application of enzymes produced with the help of GM microorganisms can be considered.

• Lipase

Labelling: oils and fats that are produced from GM plants (e.g. soya, maize, rapeseed) have to be labelled as such. It does not play a role whether the corresponding GM plant is detectable in the finished product or not.