You must have heard of extra virgin olive oil and maybe even use it in your salad sometimes. But let us today introduce you to pomace oil. It is olive oil but with the added advantage of sustaining high temperatures which makes it ideal for everyday Indian cooking. Let’s delve deeper and know more about this amazing oil.
What is Pomace Oil
Pomace oil is the refined form of olive oil. It is not extracted mechanically like virgin or other olive oils but obtained using hexane for its processing. It is regarded as low-grade olive oil as it is extracted from the olive flesh and pulp which is left after the first press. However, this doesn’t strip it of its nutrients. The beneficial components for which olive oil is so famous still remain intact just as that in extra virgin olive oil.
Uses and Advantages of Pomace Oil
From being an excellent skin and hair care product to being an unbeatable cooking medium, its uses and benefits are endless. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Cooking Food
Being chemically extracted, pomace oil has properties that are slightly different from its other cold-pressed forms. But despite being a refined oil, pomace oil doesn’t lose its nutritional value. And while other olive oils lose their nutrients when used for cooking, it retains them well.
- It has a golden-green colour which is light enough to prevent any alteration in the dish’s appearance.
- While other commonly used cooking oils like groundnut or sesame oil have a very strong flavour to them, which isn’t liked by all, pomace oil is fairly tasteless. This also makes it ideal for baking etc. as it doesn’t alter the taste of the food.
- It has a high smoking point of 460 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it ideal for cooking processes like frying which is done at high temperatures.
- As opposed to other cooking oils like sunflower or canola oil which react with oxygen to produce harmful by-products on being heated to high temperatures, it doesn’t do so as it has high oxidative stability.
- It is an extra light olive oil which is perfect for Indian dishes which are often high in fat content. However, since pomace oil expands and spreads well on being heated, you only need a little bit of it to cook your food.
Health
Since pomace oil contains the same nutritional components as other olive oil despite being refined, you get the same health benefits too.
- It helps to keep arteries clean as it contains monosaturated fat which contributes to managing cholesterol. The oleanolic acid present in it works to reduce high blood pressure.
- As it is a cholesterol-free cooking oil it helps to minimise the occurrence of many lifestyle and cardiovascular diseases which are caused due to high cholesterol...
- Pomace oil notably helps to reduce the risk of breast cancer and it doesn’t deposit fat in the arterial walls.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties owing to the presence of polyphenols which help to relieve the symptoms of allergies like contact dermatitis, pollen allergy or eczema.
- It has also been shown to keep the nervous system and brain tissues healthy.
- While the Vitamin E present in it improves immunity and helps to repair tissues, Vitamin K in it helps to increase bone density.
Skin and Hair
Pomace oil comes packed with countless benefits not just for the body but for the hair and skin too.
- You can overcome dryness and dullness of your skin by regularly using them in your skincare regime. You can give your facial skin a smoother and more youthful look by using it regularly to massage your face.
- It works like magic for hair loss and dry scalp too. You can gently massage warm pomace olive oil onto your scalp to get a shinier, softer and fuller mane.
Cheaper
Olive oil is so good for health but its high price can be frustrating as not all can afford it. But since pomace oil is refined through a chemical process and uses the leftover olive components from the first cold press, it is much cheaper. Being cost-effective and nutritious too, it is indeed the best olive oil in India for daily consumption.