FSSAI new regulations for repeated use of cooking oil
All street food or fried food lovers a good news for your health is here. As per a recent news headline stated that the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) in talks with industry to convert used-cooking oil into bio-diesel.
Why it’s always advisable to avoid outside food because the street vendors and many smaller restaurants prepare food by repeated frying or cooking in the same oil. The repeated usage of edible oil changes it’s nutrition properties, which makes it unfit for human consumption. During frying, oil undergoes degradation due to their exposure to high temperatures which result in changes in the physico-chemical and nutritional properties of the oil and leads to the formation of TPC(Total Polar Compounds), which makes it unfit for human consumption.
Repeated frying causes several oxidative and thermal reaction. You must have observed some of these changes like development of dark color, and an increased tendency of foam formation. Others are which cannot be seen but do exist such as increase in viscosity, free fatty acid content, the flavor and stability of compounds present in the oil are also changed.
The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol levels,Alzhemeimer’s disease, liver diseases etc. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the quality of vegetable oils during frying.
As per FSSAI re-heating and reuse of oil should be avoided as far as possible. Also avoid using leftover oil wherever possible.”
The State Food Safety Commissioners have been advised to focus on awareness and education programmes, surveillance and enforcement activities for the new set of regulations.
FSSAI said it is in discussion with the Indian Biodiesel Association to establish a nation-wide eco-system for collection of used cooking oil and its conversion to bio-diesel.
“From July 1, onwards, all Food Business Operators (FBOs) would be required to monitor the quality of oil during frying by complying with the said regulations,” FSSAI said in a statement. The Food Authority has also established testing protocols for Total Polar Compounds.
As of now, used cooking oil is not discarded or disposed in an environmentally hazardous manner and often used by smaller restaurants, dhaabas and street-vendors.
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