Reusing cooking oils has been a practice by many, and this has motivated the researchers to aid and search for purification methods. Arellano et al (2002) showed that bentonite is successful in aiding the purification of used cooking oil. It was also proven that bentonite-purified cooking oil does not yield any pathogens.
Most restaurant workers tend to reuse cooking oil through having the oil often filtered through filter paper and properly stored and refrigerated. After filtering, cooking oil can be reused as long as its color does not turn black, it does not develop a rancid smell and do not easily turn into smoke. Upon first use, the oil can be stored and used continuously for up to six hours. Several techniques can help significantly reduce the amount of oil disposed. These procedures effectively result in oil being replaced every three days with no disposal costs. This includes keeping the oil level low, that a third is used up each day in cooking, controlling the cooking temperature at optimum levels, and sieving the oil regularly.
Cooking oil chemical constituents are non-polar. However, during the frying process, various reactions produce a significant quantity of polar compounds from the oil. These compounds are the impurities that form in the cooking oil, wherein one way of removing these to purify the oil is by adding active carbon that was oxidized, one such study was conducted by Buczek and Chwialkowski in 2008, where the adsorbent has proven to remove several compounds such as color substances, lipid hydrolysis products, free fatty acids (AV), primary and secondary oxidation products (PV, AnV) and total polar compounds (TPC) from the palm oil used in the study. And another method involves the use of thinly sliced ginger (Zingeber officinale), which was added to remove odor from the oil and left in the oil for several more hours. Ginger is used as it has ability to remove odor and recovers used cooking oil. Ethanol was mixed in used cooking oil and stored in an air-tight container for separation to occur.
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Many food vendors tend to reuse cooking oils several times without being fully aware of the possible negative effects. Cooking oils heated several times is proven to be harmful to the health of long term consumers, according to several studies. There are methods in testing oil quality and purifying used cooking oils. Rizal Avenue, the locale of the study, is one of the areas in Puerto Princesa City where a lot of street food stalls are situated. The researchers, concerned about the current condition in terms of food safety in relationship to frequency of reusing cooking oils, will be conducting the study.
Synthesis
Cooking oil is becoming a primary necessity by many since frying has been the most used method of cooking. Different cooking oils are used globally. The most significant factor in choosing which oil should be used is the health benefits. As mentioned by experts, olive oil is the healthiest. The most used cooking oil, on the other hand, are vegetable oils, specifically palm oil. Locally, coconut oil is widely used. This is mainly because Philippines as one of the top producer of coconut worldwide next to Indonesia. Other than health benefits, low melting point, resistance to rancidity, pleasant flavor, and easy digestibility are factors to consider in choosing cooking oils.
Different types are used both in household and business facilities. Other than fast food chains, street food stalls consume liters of cooking oil a day. Establishing street food stalls is common in developing countries. Street foods are becoming more popularly consumed due to cheaper prices and ready-made meal. Stalls are usually situated near roads and sidewalks exposed to dirt. Due to the informal nature of the business, the activities are not regulated. The results are the activities that pose to the health and safety of the consumers. Consumers usually disregard food safety standards especially in terms of sanitation and hygiene.
One of the major concerns about food safety in street food stalls is the frequency of oil reuse. This method is practiced to decrease capital and ensure cost effectiveness. The oil is thus reused until it is discarded and replaced with fresh oil. To address the problem, AKO Bicol party list Rep. Rodel Batocabe sought to penalize the use of recycled cooking oil for human consumption through House Bill 814. Vendors maximize cooking oil frequency or use and this brings health risks to consumers. Food safety should be considered but many disregard the factor due to affordable prices offered.
Due to repeatedly heating of cooking oil from reusing, deterioration of quality takes place. There are significant physical changes observed such as darkening of color and the smoke point and oil viscosity increases. Food when fried contributes to adding color to the cooking oil and introduces components such as carbohydrates, phosphates, sulfur compounds, and trace metals. Many of these compounds contribute to color formation by reacting with fat or its breakdown products.
Furthermore, the more the oil is heated or reused, the more the accumulation of HNE a harmful compound and linked to the pathogenesis of vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Thermal oxidation of cooking oil generates free radicals and dietary consumption results in damage at the cellular and molecular levels, causing detrimental health effects. Histopathological observation depicted significant damage in jejunum, colon and liver. Eating foods cooked from reused oil frequently can greatly increase the risks of getting cardiovascular disease. In addition, aside from the non-communicable diseases one may acquire from consumption of fried foods, an individual is also exposed to higher risks of having microbial infections as over-used cooking oil has food particles wherein bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum proliferate in anaerobic conditions present in the oil.
Deterioration during repeatedly frying, remaining food particles and the food preparation, handling and hygiene of the vendors affect microbiological presence in street foods and the cooking oil. Microbiological presence in many street foods and in the used cooking oil had been proven to be significant and that it poses health risks on the consumers. However, studies regarding the matter, particularly here in Puerto Princesa City are lacking. There are various methods in determining the microorganisms present in used oils, assessing oil quality regarding its physicochemical properties and used oil safe reuse and purification methods.
