India’s Standards Body Dispels Misleading Myths on Refined Vegetable Oils

The Scientific Panel on Oils and Fats  at Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that refined oils are totally safe to use as cooking oil.  Chairperson of the Scientific Panel on Oils and Fats, R.B.N. Prasad, said the FSSAI recognized several oils for cooking purpose and a majority of these oils required refining.  Prasad was speaking at a seminar on ‘Edible Oils-Myths and Facts’ earlier this month organised by Indian Consumer Federation attended by scientists, nutritionists and the industry body Solvent Extractors Association and consumers.  

It was explained that because the oil obtained either from expellers or solvent extraction plant would contain some impurities which adversely affect the safety, flavour, odour and appearance of oil, they are required to be removed for making the oil edible and for ensuring long shelf life.  Some of the oils like groundnut oil, sesame, coconut oil, mustard oil and safflower oil, which are extracted using expelling technique could be consumed without refining.  However, in some cases these oils were also affected by ‘aflatoxin’ during harvesting.  Thus it was advisable to refine these oils before consumption.

Several oils like sunflower, palm, soyabean, cottonseed and rice bran, among others, were required to be sold only as refined oils as these oils were produced by solvent extraction process and they may contain solvent residues.  The refining process was done as per guidelines issued by FSSAI and most of the nutritional components were retained during refining, he said.