Teledyne Leeman Labs Blog

The American Chemistry Society recently took a look at the chemistry of olive oil in a recent episode of its YouTube show, Reactions.

 

The debate about whether olive oil is healthy continues, but there is a lot of chemistry that goes on to produce a bottle.

 

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Could your next batch of French fries be cooked in insect oil? Researchers at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands believe that the search for a protein source to alleviate pressures on the global food supply may have also stumbled across another use for insects: fats and oils. Production of soy, sunflower and palm oil require significant land resources to produce the oil, putting pressure on natural resources and the environment. As companies have worked to isolate the protein in insects, they have been discarding the oils, which researchers believe can be used for both edible and non-edible purposes.

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Every year, the average American consumes more than 50 pounds of cooking oil. These oils, which are derived from a variety of plants and plants seeds, are used in everything from salad dressings, margarine, shortenings, snack food and frying. Given the fact that these oils are a significant component of American’s diets, it’s important to make sure they are safe for human consumption. In addition to consumer safety, manufacturers need a quality, shelf-stable product that is free from high concentrations of trace elements such as copper, iron, nickel and magnesium. Trace levels of the metals can impact the hydrogenation of the oils and are often a reflection the oils quality.

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