O soy oil it is one of the fundamental ingredients for the preparation of certain foods in the kitchen. Its use is present in the preparation of rice, fried meat, beans, potato chips, salad, among many other dishes.
Have you ever stopped to think about what soy oil is? And soy? How is this oil produced? What is its importance for the body? In this text, you will find answers to each of these questions.
Soy
The cultivated soybean belongs to the Fabaceae family (legumes) and its scientific name é Glycine max. It is a species of herbaceous annual plant, native to China, which can reach up to two meters in height, depending on environmental conditions. It has flowers that vary from purple to white, leaves that can be pale green or dark green, depending on the type of soybean, and pods that have an average of five seeds. A striking feature is the presence of trichomes (a kind of hair) in the pods. Look at the figure below:
Note the trichomes in the soybean pod
Soybeans grow mainly in environments with a temperature around 30ºC. Growth is practically nil at temperatures below 10º C. Soybean development is also directly related to the period of daylight, and the species is considered a short-day plant. At times of the year when days are shorter than nights, the plant blooms early.
soy oil
Oils belong to a specific class of lipids, called glycerides, which has in its constitution the junction of one or more fatty acids. In general, a glyceride has a large number of carbons in its structure, which may have unsaturated chains (double bond, =) or without saturation (single connections, -). The main fatty acids that form soybean oil are linoleic, oleic, palmitic and linolenic acids. See the chemical structure of each of the fatty acids that can be found in soybean oil:
Saturated fatty acid called palmitic
Unsaturated fatty acid (only one pair) called oleic
Unsaturated fatty acid (with three doubles) called linolenic
Unsaturated fatty acid (only two doubles) called linoleic
Soybean oil is nothing more, nothing less than a mixture of fatty acids obtained from the legume called soy. The physical state of soybean oil or any other oil, at room temperature, is always liquid.
The steps involved in oil production are:
The production of soy oil involves several important steps. These steps are required to:
improve your appearance;
improve flavor;
improve the aroma.
The) Storage: The beans must be stored in an environment that does not have excessive heat and low air humidity;
Soybeans used for oil production
B) Pre-cleaning or sieving: soybeans go through mechanized sieves to separate smaller or broken beans;
ç) Peeling: Stage where the soy bean husk is removed;
d) Conditioning: Soybean pulp is heated to temperatures around 60°COÇ. The water present on the outside of the pulp is removed;
and) crushing: The heated pulp is crushed to facilitate the removal of the oil present in its interior;
f) Cooking: The crushed material is subjected to heating around 75 OC to prevent some enzymes from acting and forming unwanted chemical compounds in the oil;
g) Extraction: Oil extraction can be carried out by compressing the crushed material or adding a solvent to dissolve the oil present in the crushed soy pulp. When the solvent is used, it is necessary to separate the oil from the solvent by distillation;
h) Degumming and neutralization: Crude oil is heated to 70 OC and then receives an amount of lye. Both processes are used to avoid or nullify free fatty acids;
i) Bleaching: removal of pigments present in the oil so that they are lighter. This is done through a new addition of caustic soda and bleaching substances, such as so-called activated earths.
j) Deodorization: water vapor is added to the oil to remove unwanted substances that impair the odor and taste of the final product.
Benefits of using soy oil
Soybean is one of the most studied plants in the world and presents a great amount of benefits already proven by science. This oilseed has, for example, a large amount of isoflavones, compounds similar to Estrogen produced by women that favor the prevention and treatment of problems such as cancer of the breast, menopauseand osteoporosis.
In addition to isoflavones, soy has a wide variety of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Among the carbohydrates, raffinose stands out, which serves as a nutrient for bacteria in the intestinal flora, thus helping to prevent colon cancer. Between the vitamins, we can mention thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, niacin, vitamin A and E, which act in the most varied functions of the body. Finally, among the mineral salts, highlights the presence of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
As far as soybean oil is concerned, it represents an important source of omega 6 and 3, two important polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids act mainly to reduce the risk of heart disease. Despite the benefits, it is important to emphasize that oil, when misused, can contribute for the development of diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and problems cardiovascular diseases.
Heads up: The oil must not be heated in such a way that smoke is released, as toxic products form at that time. In addition, heating causes many beneficial substances to be lost.
By Me. Diogo Lopes Dias
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
