Rice Bran Oil as a Healthy Cooking Medium

Rice Bran Oil as a Healthy Cooking Medium

Rice bran oil indeed has the most desirable fat composition,better frying stability and offers unique health benefits due to the presence of phytosterols and oryzanols.

Like rice bran, groundnut oil too has an ideal fat composition.

Approximate fatty acid composition of dietary fats and oils consumed in India (% of total fatty acids)-

Fats / oils Recommended ideal fatty acid composition by NIN	SFAs 27-33%	MUFAs 33-40%	LA (Lenolenic acid)	ALA (Alpha lenolenic acid)	Predominant Fatty Acids
			27 – 33 %
High SFAs
Coconut	92	6	2	-	SFA
Palm kernel	83	15	2	-	SFA
Butter/Ghee	68	29	2	1	SFA
Palmolein	39	46	11	<0.5	SFA & MUFA
High MUFAs & Moderate LA & Moderate ALA
Groundnut	19	41	32	<0.5	MUFA Close to Recommendations
Rice bran	17	43	38	1	MUFA Closest to Recommendations High Smoke Point
Sesame	16	41	42	<0.5	MUFA Rich Close to Recommendations
Olive	13	76	10	<0.5	MUFA Close to Recommendations Low Smoke Point
High MUFAs & High ALA
Canola	6	60	22	10	MUFA & Omega 3 Close to Recommendations High Smoke Point
Mustard/rapeseed	4	65	15	14	MUFA & Omega 3 Contains undesirable erucic acid High Smoke Point
High LA
Cottonseed	24	29	48	1	LA / Omega 6
Corn	12	35	50	1	LA / Omega 6
Safflower/Kardi	9	13	75	-	LA / Omega 6
Sunflower	12	22	62	-	LA / Omega 6
High ALA
Soybean	14	24	53	7	ALA / Omega 3
Flaxseed	10	21	16	53	ALA / Omega 3
High TFAs
Vanaspati	46	49g	4	-	Contains undesirable Trans Fatty acids

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SFA- Saturated Fatty Acids

MCT- Medium chain triglycerides

MUFA- Monounsaturated Fatty acids

PUFA- Polyunsaturated Fatty acids

LA- Linoleic acid

ALA- Alpha linolenic acid

TFAs – Trans Fatty acids

NIN– National Institute of Nutrition

Source: Nutrient Requirements and Recommended Dietary Allowances For Indians, NIN, 2010

• Ideal Fatty Acid Composition of Oils

According to experts “The ratio of SFA: MUFA: PUFA of any oil is very important”. In accordance to the latest recommendations by National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) the ideal fatty acid composition of a oil should be 27-33% : 33-40% : 27-33%. And the fatty acid composition of Rice bran oil comes closest to these recommendations with the percentages at 24: 42: 34.” Rice Bran Oil indeed has the most ideal fat composition, better frying stability and offers unique health benefits due to phytosterols and oryzanols present in it. The other oil which has an ideal fat composition is groundnut oil.

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• Smoking Point

The smoking point of a fat is a desirable quality for a cooking medium. Oil very high in PUFA has a low smoking point and oil high in MUFA has a relatively higher smoking point.

The smoke point of various eating oils is important to note because when oils are heated beyond their smoking point they develop free radicals which contribute to risk of cancer. A fat is no longer fit for consumption after it has exceeded its smoke point as it begins to break down. Oils with low smoking point cannot be used for high temperature cooking / frying. Though olive oil is one of the healthiest oil for cooking, by using extra virgin olive oil for frying one is doing more harm than good.

• Non glyceride components of dietary fats and oils

Besides fats, vegetable oils contain non glycerides which have specific health significance-

Nonglyceride components	Oil	Biological and health function
Plant sterols Vitamin A, D, K	All vegetable oils Ghee/butter	Hypocholesterolemic Vitamin
Tocopherols	All vegetable oils	Vitamin, Antioxidant
Tocotrienols	Palm oil, Rice bran oil	Vitamin, Antioxidant
Carotenes	Red Palm oil	Provitamin, Antioxidant
Oryzanols	Rice bran oil	Hypocholesterolemic Antioxidant
Sesamin	Sesame	Hypocholesterolemic Anti-inflammatory
Sesamolin, Sesamol	Sesame	Antioxidant

Source: Nutrient Requirements and Recommended Dietary Allowances For Indians, NIN, 2010.