Corn oil: benefits and harms, application, reviews

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Corn is a cereal crop. From this it already follows that it is rich in protein and B vitamins. Now known to all, corn is considered the most ancient cereal that was eaten several thousand years ago by obsolete generations of modern Mexico.

Corn is reputed to be an ancient bread plant, ranking third in the world after wheat and rice.

Neither children nor adults can do without corn, because it gives not only a feeling of pleasant satiety, but also nourishes the body with its most valuable properties, many of which remain when oil is pressed from corn. What is corn oil, the benefits and harms, how to take - we will consider everything in our article.

What feeds corn oil

The oil is pressed from the germ of corn seeds, which look like seed nucleoli and make uponly 10% of the weight of the grain itself. The main part of the grain is a mealy-protein substance - the endosperm, which is closed in a bright-colored shell. It is this substance that is ideal for flour, glucose, molasses, starch, popcorn, whole corn kernels are delicious in salads, boiled, canned, in the form of corn sticks and flakes, and they also make alcohol and brew beer from corn.

But so that the corn flour is not bitter, the grains are separated from the embryonic nucleoli, from which the corn oil is pressed. The embryos are filled with fats - about 80%, minerals by 74% and about 20% proteins. In the production of popular products from corn, it is these fatty-oil compounds that are oxidized and hydrolyzed, which leads to a strong deterioration in taste and quality.

Germs are separated from the grain by wet and dry methods. These are complex processes, as a result of which it is already possible to start producing the oil itself.

Wet separation of corn germ from grain

In order to isolate the germ from a corn kernel, the only previously used method was used: corn was soaked and treated in a hydrothermal way so that the grain shell was saturated with maximum moisture. Then the grain passed through a sieve and crushed. But the purity of processing was very low - the embryos fell into waste and cereals. Therefore, a new method was developed by tearing the grain from the inside and passing the resulting mass through drying, sorting and cleaning devices. This method improved the quality of the resulting cereals with a minimum content ofgerm.

After such separation of germs from the main mass, the endosperm, which is separated in large parts, produce corn sticks and flakes. Heavy endosperm particles go to the production of cereals.

Dry separation of corn germ from grain

With this method, the grain is ground dry and the germs, endosperm and the shell that goes to the bran are separated on sieve devices. As a result of this method, corn grits, flour and fodder are obtained. But, unfortunately, none of the technologies gives 100% purified embryos. And the issue of improving the separation of germs from corn endosperm is still relevant, because the higher the percentage of purity of the germs, the higher the physiological value of the oil that is obtained from them.

What kind of oil is obtained from corn

Corn germ oil is divided into several types, depending on the method of extraction.

• Unrefined.
• Refined non-deodorized.
• Refined deodorized brand D - for the manufacture of children's diet.
• Refined deodorized brand P - for a wide distribution network and catering establishments.

Corn oil extraction methods

There are two main ways to obtain oil - pressing and extraction.

Squeezing and squeezing through a press - cold-pressed oil is more useful, since it retains all the microelements useful in the germs, which are very numerous. But itopaque and has a sediment, so it must be cleaned, filtered - it is organic and the most useful. Hot pressed oil, in which the seeds are preheated, is dark in color.

The oil, which is pressed from the embryos of the wet process, is suitable for cooking only after refining and deodorization.

Oil obtained as a result of cold pressing from dry-extracted corn germ does not require refining and deodorization, has a light golden color, a pleasant smell and a delicate taste characteristic of young "milk" corn. It is this variety of corn oil that is valuable for a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids that have a regulatory effect on lipid metabolism and cholesterol, preventing the deposition of its excess on the walls of blood vessels.

Unrefined corn oil - benefits and harms

Unrefined corn oil has a higher status than refined, due to the abundance of essential and nonessential fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, including biologically active components that effectively regulate the body's metabolic processes.

Heating unrefined oil above 200 ° C leads to the destruction of the most valuable vitamin A and phosphatides, consisting of phosphoric acid and useful fatty acids, to some loss of polyunsaturated fatty acids. But the most unpleasant thing is the harm of corn oil - heating leads to the decomposition of fat, as a result of which a number of liquid and gaseous substances are formed that irritate the mucous membranes.the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and are carcinogenic.

Unrefined oil requires special storage conditions to avoid the formation of a bitter taste, clouding of color and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. Such oil must be stored in a glass container, in a dark, cool place, out of direct sunlight, in order for corn oil to benefit and not harm.

The richness of refined corn oil

Oil refining - purification from mechanical impurities, discoloration, neutralization of oil, as a result of which the oil remains almost odorless and is intended for wide chain sales. The color of refined corn oil is very similar to refined sunflower oil, just like sunflower oil, it does not form smoke and foam when frying.

The benefits and harms of refined corn oil differ little from those of unrefined oil. In the process of refining, the oil acquires a light yellowish tint and a slightly pronounced smell. There are also positive effects of refining, due to which residual pesticides and toxic impurities are removed from the oil. But along with this, most of the trace elements and nutrients necessary for the body are also removed. That is why unrefined corn oil is considered the most enriched with useful substances.

Refined oil, unlike unrefined oil, does not lose its properties when exposed to light and heat, it can be stored for a long time inplastic utensils without compromising performance or quality.

Refined deodorized corn oil. Benefits and harms

This type of oil is characterized by the fact that it has passed all stages of refining and deodorization. Refined deodorized no longer has such pronounced hypocholesterolemic properties. This is precisely its great shortcoming.

Corn refined deodorized oil, which is obtained by traditional technology, does not have such a bright physiological effect on the body as just refined corn oil, including the absence of hypocholesterolemic properties. This is explained by the specifics of the technology, which uses strict regimes, which lead to the destruction of active beneficial substances - sterols, carotenoids, tocopherols with the loss of their natural biologically active properties.

Corn oil for weight loss

Corn oil is saturated with phospholipids - biologically active components that are part of the structure of cell membranes and regulate brain function. Unrefined corn oil is useful in the daily diet for people suffering from obesity, liver disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, patients with lipid metabolism disorders or a combination of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism disorders.

The benefits and harms of corn oil for weight loss must be considered in each case separately, in consultation with a specialist. But there are general recommendations that can be applied by people who want to lose weight, for whom cornoil is perfect. Especially unrefined, since it is corn oil that has not been refined, which is beneficial, not harmful, contains a maximum of healing substances for the whole body.

Of course, corn oil is not a panacea for weight loss. It is advisable to add it to salads, dough, consume a small amount in the morning on an empty stomach. The benefits, as well as the harm of corn oil for the body, are undeniable. Corn oil has a laxative effect, gently stimulating intestinal motility, which undoubtedly has a beneficial effect on the general condition of the body.

Healing properties of corn oil

• Corn oil is recognized as the most hypoallergenic, so it is completely safe for children of any age.
• The oil is saturated with vitamin E twice as much as sunflower and even olive oil, thanks to which the endocrine system is maintained normally - the work of the gonads, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thyroid gland.
• Corn oil prevents muscle fatigue and weakness.
• Oil protects the genetic center of cells from mutation processes that occur when exposed to ionizing radiation and chemicals.
• The benefits and harms of corn oil, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids that our body does not synthesize itself, so we must receive them every day, while the oil strengthens the immune system and removes excess cholesterol.
• Supplemented with B-Vitamins, a brain-boosting vitamin E that is "carrying offspring"vitamin K, which normalizes blood clotting, and choline, which removes fat from the liver.
• There is a lot of talk about the benefits and dangers of corn oil, one thing must be remembered - do not use it in large quantities, especially unrefined. Also, with caution, it must be used by people with cholelithiasis and thrombophlebitis.

Reviews about the benefits and dangers of corn oil are the most encouraging. After all, there are no serious contraindications to the use of corn oil, except for an allergy to corn. The only thing that experts warn about is that the normal daily dose of corn oil is 30 grams, that is, two tablespoons, no more.