Canola oil is the new favourite medium of cooking for chefs, in both five star hotels and street side eateries. Canola oil, a byproduct of mustard oil, reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases better than other oils, say neurologists.
"Canola oil has the best ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 as compared to all cooking oils. Eating around 1-1/2 tablespoons (19 grams) of canola oil every day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," said Ravinderpal Singh Kohli, director of Jivo Wellness, a promoter and marketer of canola oil. Canola oil has the lowest percentage of saturated fats as compared to all other common oils such as coconut, groundnut, olive oil, soybean, sunflower, sesame, safflower and other hydrogenated vanaspati oils.
The oil has a premium of 20% over other oils. Five litres of canola oil will cost Rs 790, which makes it Rs 123 per litre. "Kolkata and the Northeast have seen a drastic shift from mustard to canola oil. As per market figures, almost 70% of people residing in these places have shifted to canola oil. We can help change around the health charts with canola oil because other oils have high Omega-6 concentration, which leads to coronary heart diseases and depression," Kohli added.
Doctors say that of all vegetable oils, canola oil has an excellent fatty acid profile. The content of unhealthy saturated fat is minimal and it is a rich source of healthy fat derived from different acids. "The oil has cardio protective properties that help reduce cholesterol and control diabetes. There have been cases where people have applied canola oil on their skin allergies and seen immediate healing. It also reduces aggression and irritable behaviour among children," said Dr Neelam Kaur, consultant and dean, faculty of health sciences, Akal University, Himachal Pradesh.
Canola oil is formed after mustard/rapeseeds are hybridised to reduce the levels of toxic erucic acid. Mustard oil contains 42% of erucic acid — reported to raise liver and heart lipid levels. Cases of dropsy have been reported in epidemic form due to adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil. In case of canola oil, no cases of dropsy have been reported so far.
"Earlier we were using olive oil in each Gourmet but now we use canola oil. We are getting a good response from customers. Canola oil makes cooking easier as this is the only edible oil which has the highest smoke point of 450°F, ideal for deep frying. This results in lower oil retention in fried food," said chef Nataloni from Flavors of Italy in New Delhi.
31 July in The Sunday Guardian.
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