Health and Fitness

Reuse of cooking oil is dangerous: Let’s know how !

Reheating of cooking oil leads to the release of toxic substances and also increases free radicals in the body

November 13, 2021

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Last Updated on September 4, 2023 by The Health Master

Cooking oil

Cooking oil: We love to eat puris and pakoras on special occasions, but a big disadvantage of whipping up all the tasty and crispy fried stuff is that it could lead to the wastage of edible oil.

So, we are sometimes tempted to reuse it for cooking. But have we ever thought about what happens to the oil when we use it again and again and what it does to our bodies?

According to studies, reheating cooking oil leads to the release of toxic substances and also increases free radicals in the body, causing inflammation and various chronic diseases.

FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) guidelines say re-heating should be avoided, and in case you have to reuse oil, a maximum of three times is permitted to avoid the formation of trans-fat.

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“Re-heating and reuse of oil should be avoided as far as possible. Avoid using left over oil wherever possible. However, vegetable oil having developed Total Polar Compound more than 25% shall not be used,” adds the guidelines further.

Dr. Soumyadeep Mukhopadhyay, Lab-In-Charge, Mitra SK Food Testing Services, tells us in detail about the harmful effects of reusing oil after one frying cycle.

“The number of times that one can safely reuse it depends on what kind of food is being fried in it, the kind of oil it is, what temperature it was heated to, and for how long,” says Dr. Mukhopadhyay.

He also explains the harmful effects of consuming food cooked in such oil:

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It releases toxic substances, gives off bad odour

Oil heated to high temperatures releases toxic fumes. Fumes are given off even before the smoke point is reached, but they increase dramatically when the temperature goes above the smoke point.

Each time oil is heated, its fat molecules break down a little. This causes it to reach its smoke point and give off a bad odor more quickly each time it is used.

When this happens, unhealthy substances are released both into the air and into the food being cooked.

It increases your cholesterol levels

At high temperatures, some of the fats in oil change into trans fats. Trans fats are harmful fats that increase the risk of heart disease. When oils are reused, the amount of trans fat gets even higher.

It can increase your blood pressure

The moisture contained in the food, atmospheric oxygen, and high temperatures produce reactions such as hydrolysis, oxidation, and polymerization.

These reactions change and modify the chemical composition of the used frying oil, releasing free fatty acids, and radicals that produce monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides.

These are grouped under Total Polar Compounds, which is a reliable benchmark for measuring the degradation of cooking oil.

The toxicity of these compounds formed after repeated frying may cause lipid deposition, oxidative stress, hypertension, atherosclerosis, etc.

Now that we know how harmful re-heating oil can be, it is best to make a proper estimate of the amount of oil required for frying, cooking, etc., to stay healthy and disease-free.