Originally published December 18 2005
Cottonseed oil may prove a healthy alternative for cooking french fries
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
MedPage Today reviews a study performed at Texas Tech that claims french fries cooked in cottonseed oil were significantly lower in trans-fatty acids and could prove a heart-healthy alternative to those fried in hydrogenated oils.
French fries prepared in non-hydrogenated cottonseed oil instead of partially hydrogenated oils are significantly lower in trans-fatty acid and may be a more heart-healthy choice, researchers reported here.
A study comparing French fries prepared in cottonseed oil, partially hydrogenated canola oil, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil gave thumbs up to the cottonseed oil.
Trans-fatty acids increase LDL cholesterol while lowering HDL cholesterol.
Hydrogenation contributes up to 75% of the trans-fatty acids found in foods today.
"Because deep-fat frying remains a popular cooking technique, health professionals should educate the public and the food service industry on the benefits of using non-hydrogenated cottonseed oil as an alternative to the commonly used hydrogenated oils," wrote the investigators.
The fries were USDA grade A frozen, partially cooked Russet Burbank potatoes from Boise, Idaho, and were fried for a total of five minutes, yielding a daily total of 12 kg (26.4 pounds) of French fries from each oil.
The trans fat content of the pre-fried raw French fries averaged around 33.1%.
The initial total fat content of the raw fries was 4.1%; the cooked fries averaged 11.4% total fat.
In addition to the trans-fat content the investigators also measured levels of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, including myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic fatty acids.
While there were no significant differences in crude fat content between the fries cooked in the three oils, the cottonseed-cooked fries' combined total trans fatty and saturated fatty acid levels were still lower than the other two, Dr. Daniel and her team reported.
When trans fatty acid and saturated fatty acids were added together, fries cooked in cottonseed, canola and soybean oil contained 30%, 36%, and 41% of the total weight, respectively.
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