A new study shows that deep-frying certain foods, such as French fries, with extra virgin olive oil can improve their nutritional profile.
According to a new study published in the journal Food Chemistry, during the frying process, some of the beneficial properties of extra virgin olive oil are absorbed by food.
Extra Virgin olive oil is obtained from the fruits of the olive tree without chemical changes or heat treatment. Researchers have found that even reusing the same extra virgin olive oils for deep frying will still benefit French fries. After several applications, adding fresh olive oil to the fryer, the frying oil was replenished with antioxidants of extra virgin olive oil.
Among the most important compounds that were transferred to the products during the test, the researchers saw plant sterols and tocopherols, the consumption of which is desirable because of their ability to lower cholesterol levels and because they exhibit vitamin E activity, respectively. In addition to these two compounds, other potentially biologically active substances have also been transferred to French fries, such as lignans and triterpene compounds. Total of useful substances enriching food when deep-fried in olive oil is 56.