Why Some Cooking Oils Don't Go Bad Fast
Effect of Refining Degree on the Quality Changes and Lipid Oxidation of Camellia (Camellia oleifera) Oil during Heating
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fully refined oil showed minimal new lipid formation during heating, while crude and moderately refined oils produced new triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols.
You’d expect the 'cleaner' oil to be more stable — but instead, it barely reacted at all, suggesting it’s too stripped-down to even form new compounds, while the others are chemically active — which could mean more complex degradation pathways.
Practical Takeaways
When buying camellia oil (or similar oils like olive or avocado), look for 'lightly refined' or 'cold-pressed with minimal bleaching' — avoid anything labeled 'fully refined' or 'deodorized' if you plan to cook at high heat.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fully refined oil showed minimal new lipid formation during heating, while crude and moderately refined oils produced new triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols.
You’d expect the 'cleaner' oil to be more stable — but instead, it barely reacted at all, suggesting it’s too stripped-down to even form new compounds, while the others are chemically active — which could mean more complex degradation pathways.
Practical Takeaways
When buying camellia oil (or similar oils like olive or avocado), look for 'lightly refined' or 'cold-pressed with minimal bleaching' — avoid anything labeled 'fully refined' or 'deodorized' if you plan to cook at high heat.
Publication
Journal
Foods
Year
2022
Authors
Mei Wang, Yin Wan, Ting Liu, Xiuying Zeng, Xinmei Liang, Xiaojiang Wu, G. Fu
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Claims (6)
Raw camellia oil has the most natural antioxidants, but when you heat it, its fat molecules break down more than in oil that’s been lightly cleaned — so it’s a trade-off between protection and structure.
Camellia oil that’s been lightly cleaned but not over-processed stays fresher longer when heated, because it keeps some natural antioxidants but gets rid of gunk that makes it go bad.
The natural antioxidants in camellia oil — like vitamin E and plant polyphenols — act like shields that slow down the oil’s breakdown when it’s heated. The more of these antioxidants, the less the oil goes rancid.
When you heat camellia oil for a long time, it changes the structure of certain fat molecules in a very specific way — especially those involved in cell membrane function — and this change is more dramatic than any other chemical reaction happening in the oil.
When you heat raw or lightly cleaned camellia oil, new fat molecules form — but when you heat oil that’s been cleaned too much, almost nothing new forms, meaning the oil is too stripped down to react.