Corn oil is an industrial seed oil that’s made out of the seed (or kernel) of corn.
Like the vegetable (or grain, depending on when it is harvested), corn oil has a golden yellow hue. Some say corn oil has a lightweight buttery style, however for essentially the most half it is rather bland. This makes it a preferred selection in packaged and processed items.
There is loads of processing concerned to make corn oil. Usually the oil is mechanical and/or chemical extracted after which refined (for instance, utilizing a solvent equivalent to hexane), in response to holistic registered dietitian Michelle Shapiro, RDfrom Michelle Shapiro Nutrition LLC.
“During mechanical (physical) extraction, the germ component is separated from the kernel during the milling process to produce flour. The remaining germ is dried and then pressed using a hydraulic or screw press (i.e. “expeller-pressed”), to yield the liquid oil part. To isolate the oil from physical contaminants, the product is washed with a chemical solvent, usually hexane, which is vaporized to yield the oil itself,” she says.
After the bodily extraction, a chemical refining course of follows. The purpose right here is to take away any undesirable contaminants that (amongst different issues) negatively have an effect on style, odor, shelf life and/or smoke level. Shapiro explains what chemical refining entails six main steps1: degumming, neutralizing, washing/drying, bleaching, dewaxing and deodorizing.
All this processing has a significant disadvantage. While the purpose of the extraction and refining course of is to take away undesirable compounds from the oil, it might probably additionally fascinating compounds equivalent to sure nutritional vitamins or antioxidants,” says Shapiro.
Some of these compounds may contain beneficial fatty acids and antioxidant-rich color pigments.
Because corn oil has a high smoke point (450 degrees Fahrenheit2), it’s generally utilized in cooking and frying. “You might discover it in salad oil, cooking oil, margarine, or meals containing these elements,” says Shapiro.
