Benefits of cold pressed oil

Benefits of cold pressed oil

Before going to understand the benefits of cold-pressed oil, we must know what is cold pressed oil. In simple words, oil is obtained through pressing or through the extraction method. In this process the oil needs just 25–28 degrees Celsius to get ready, the major advantage is it has a natural smell, no chemicals added flavour and healthy.

Cold-pressing process:

This are the techniques followed to extract the oil:

1. Oil is extracted by using a ‘Ghani.’ It has a mortar and pestle kind of arrangement. The oilseeds or coconut pieces are ground or pressed without the application of heat. Hence the method is known as ‘cold pressing.’

2. The resultant oil is filtered and ready to use.

Extraction process of refined oils:

But refined oil needs 150–200 degree Celsius to get ready and it’s very unhealthy for our daily food. The typical industrial or commercial oil extraction process begins by using a mechanical extractor for pressing the constituents followed by chemical extraction.

1. The edible oil dissolves in the solvent passed through the ‘meal.’
2. The mechanical extractor presses the oilseeds (sesame, groundnut, sunflower, mustard or rapeseed) or coconut pieces to make a ‘meal’ or ‘cake.’
3. The resultant oil is bleached to attain uniformity in color.
4. The ‘meal’ is subjected to very high temperatures (up to 270°C) to start the oil extraction process.
5. It is finally deodorized to remove any odours.
6. Solvents such as hexane and petroleum ether are used to extract oil from this ‘meal’.
7. The oil plus solvent mixture is then subjected to degumming/neutralization/washing procedures.

Let us learn what the benefits of cold-pressed oil are:

1. Benefits of cold-pressed coconut oil for weight loss:

Lauric acid present in coconut oil helps to kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and fats. These fats are converted to ketones in the liver. When the body goes into ketone metabolism, weight loss becomes easier because appetite is reduced on a ketone diet.

2. Coconut oil consumption is good for heart health.

3. Indian cooking processes subject oils to very high temperatures.

4. Coconut oil is very stable when heated to high temperatures due to the presence of short and medium-chain fatty acids. Hence it is recommended for deep frying. Cold-pressed virgin coconut oil retains all the essential nutrients and is healthy for the skin, hair, and teeth.

5. The cold-pressing process retains the antioxidants and essential vitamins in the oil.

6. Unprocessed — No added preservatives and chemicals

7. Absolutely free of pesticides

8. High in Vitamin E and micronutrients that are vital for our holistic well-being.

9. Completely free from Trans-fat.

10. Retains antioxidants.

11. As it is manually filtered, it is more viscous and retains the flavour fully. This helps in lesser consumption of oil as compared to the industrially processed refined oil.

Follow with us and learn why you should switch to cold-pressed oils:

1. Commercial processes make use of very high temperatures, which results in the loss of antioxidants like tocopherols and sterols. This process also produces free radicals and Trans fatty acids (TFA), and polymeric components. All of these are potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents. The free radicals can cause other illnesses like Alzheimer’s. Cold-pressed oils are devoid of free radicals. The cold-pressing process doesn’t produce any free radicals as heat is neither applied externally nor generated.
2. High temperatures used to produce refined oils destroy Vitamin E and beta-carotene in the oil. Vitamin E has anti-inflammatory and healing properties.
3. Cold-pressed mustard oils help in energizing the body. After regular consumption of cold-pressed oils, users have seen an upraise in their overall energy levels.
4. Solvents like hexane and petroleum ether can have deleterious effects on the human body if the solvent plus oil mixture is not properly processed. Hexane can cause depression of the central nervous system and dermatitis.
5. Virgin Coconut oil is made from the first-pressed milk extracted by cold pressing coconuts. This milk is then fermented for 2 days to turn into oil which is then filtered.
6. Caustic soda is used for the neutralization process of refined oils for removing free fatty acids.
7. Acid-activated bleaching earth is used for the bleaching process in manufacturing refined oils.
8. The cold-pressing method retains the natural healthy antioxidants in the oil, which are otherwise destroyed by heat.
9. Cold-pressed oils improve the good cholesterol or the HDL in our body and act as carriers to aid in the removal of the bad cholesterol or the LDL from our body. Refined oils leave our bodies with no cholesterol.

A discussion about the benefits of cold-pressed oils cannot end without talking about the benefits of cold-pressed virgin coconut oil for weight loss. Much has been said about this oil in recent times through the standard cold pressed oil websites. You can also find much detail in our blog.