What is the difference between the different types of plant oils?

Plant oil is an indispensable part of our daily life, and it is one of the substances that provide our body with heat energy. Plant oil is a compound made by the reaction of advanced fatty acid and glycerol, which is widely distributed in nature and is the plant oil obtained from fruits, seeds, and the germ of plants. The main component is the ester produced by straight-chain advanced fatty acid and glycerol. The fatty acid contains a variety of unsaturated acids in addition to soft fatty acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid. Plant oil mainly contains calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin E, fatty acids, and other nutritional elements, and is an important side food for human beings, mainly used in cooking, pastry, canned food, etc. It can also be processed into plant oil, margarine, baking oil, etc. for people's consumption. It also has a very large number of types, so what is the difference between them? This article will introduce in detail how different types of plant oil differ from each other.

Here is the content list：

l From texture

l From composition

l From color and smell

From texture

Plant oils that are lighter in aroma tend to be lighter, such as olive oil and tea oil, which tend to enter the upper middle jiao and are relatively lighter in texture and less burdensome to the body's digestive organs.

From the composition

Peanut oil contains more than 80% unsaturated fatty acids, as well as phospholipids, vitamin E, and choline, which are easily absorbed by the body. And among many plant oils, peanut oil is high in zinc content, so it is a better quality plant oil for cooking. Olive oil is made from olives as raw material. Unlike other plant oils, olive oil is made by the cold-pressing method, which directly presses the plant oil without chemical and heating treatment, and this production method makes olive oil retain most of its nutrients. Grape seed oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, it contains up to 70% or more linoleic acid, in addition, to vitamin F, minerals, protein, linseed oleic acid, chlorophyll, etc. Coconut oil contains a large amount of saturated fatty acids, with a content of over 90%. It is also the only plant oil in our daily food that consists of medium-chain fatty acids, which are smaller molecules than the long-chain fat molecules in other foods and are easily digested and absorbed by the body.

From color and smell

Peanut oil is made from peanuts and has a very strong fragrant aroma. Soybean oil is darker in color, easily blisters when exposed to heat, and also has a certain odor, so it is not recommended if you are making a more advanced dish and need a flavorless oil. Grapeseed oil is light-colored and odorless and is perfect for salads colds or desserts, etc. Coconut oil is aromatic and more suitable for making various Southeast Asian specialties, as well as some special pieces of bread or muffins.

Through the above understanding, we can know that different plant oils are bound to differ in terms of nutritional value and efficacy, and the fatty acids, smoke point, production process, and grade they contain will vary. When we buy plant oil, we should pay attention to the different heat resistance of different plant oils, too high temperature cooking will accelerate the production of carcinogenic substances, frying and stir-frying should use high heat-resistant oil, such as peanut oil, canola oil, etc. As we said before, different plant oils have different nutrients, so you should eat a variety of plant oils instead of using one plant oil for a long time, which is more beneficial to your health.