Vegetable Oils
BasicOverview
Industrial vegetable oils in ultra-processed foods undergo extensive refining including degumming, bleaching, deodorization, and winterization that removes natural antioxidants, vitamins, and flavor compounds. These highly refined oils differ substantially from cold-pressed or traditionally extracted oils, with processing temperatures reaching 260°C during deodorization.
999,547
Products contain this
36,376
Ingredient variations
Common forms
Plant-based oils including olive, canola, sunflower, soybean
Function
Refined vegetable oils provide consistent frying performance, extended shelf life, and neutral flavors essential for industrial food manufacturing. Processing creates oils with specific smoke points, oxidative stability, and crystallization properties required for automated production systems.
Sources
Industrial oil extraction uses hexane solvents followed by multi-stage refining including phosphoric acid degumming, clay bleaching, and high-temperature deodorization. This contrasts with traditional mechanical pressing that preserves natural oil characteristics.
Health Considerations
Industrial refining removes beneficial compounds including vitamin E, phytosterols, and polyphenols while potentially creating trans fats and oxidation products. High-temperature processing may generate compounds not present in traditionally prepared oils.
Regulatory
FDA permits various extraction solvents and processing aids in vegetable oil production with residue limits, though these processing methods need not be disclosed on labels. Regulatory distinctions between "refined" and "virgin" oils vary by oil type and country.
Common Variations (50 total)
Products Containing Vegetable Oils
Showing 12 of 999,547 products, sorted by processing level