There are two types of sunflower oil: refined and unrefined. Each is used in its own way: deodorized is more suitable for frying, unrefined is used in salads because it has a rich taste and unique aroma.
The methods for producing oils differ. Resistance to oxidative processes, and therefore shelf life, depends on the degree of purification. Refined oil is less capricious to conditions. Fragrant things are afraid of light and spoil faster. Each variety has its own nuances, knowing which you can store sunflower oil for a long time without fear that it will go rancid.
How to choose the right oil for long-term storage
The raw oil is aromatic and rich. Hardens at temperatures from -15 to -20 degrees. Unrefined is obtained either through cold pressing (pressing) or by industrial extraction. It is chosen for preparing salads and cold appetizers.
When producing purified oil, all unstable compounds that can oxidize when interacting with air and precipitate are removed from it. When cleaning, vitamins and substances responsible for color and aroma are removed. Refined oil is used for hot dishes.
Pay attention to the types of sunflower oil. The first and highest - do not taste bitter, have no sediment, the smell is clean, fresh. In the second grade, bitterness and impurities may appear.
Deodorized and frozen oils have the highest degree of purification.
Yes:
- take bright yellow products;
- no additives, otherwise storage will be worse;
- check for sediment.
No:
- oil standing in the light could spoil;
- choose too light;
- take the product at the end of its expiration date.
If the oil quickly flows down the wall when tilted, it may be diluted.
Which oil do you like best?
RefinedUnrefined
Signs of damage
To avoid being poisoned by vegetable oil, you need to know the signs of a spoiled product:
- unpleasant musty smell;
- bitter taste;
- the appearance of sediment;
- cloudiness of the product.
High-quality and fresh lean meat should be from a transparent shade to the color of dark amber without clouding. By smell, it should give off the aroma of sunflower or have no smell at all (the product is purified). Fresh oil tastes like sunflower seeds or has no taste at all.
Sunflower oil storage conditions
Observe the storage temperature of sunflower oil: if it is overcooled or overheated, it becomes unstable. With frequent changes, the oil can deteriorate, become rancid and cause poisoning if consumed.
- Optimum temperature +7…18°C.
Organize storage in a closet or other dark place. After use, remove the bottle so that the oil is exposed to light as little as possible. An expired product is unsuitable for food and is hazardous to health. Unlike products such as red caviar in sealed packaging, butter can go without refrigeration.
It is not recommended to store an open container for more than a month; beneficial vitamins and substances disappear.
Can:
- do not pour from purchased packaging;
- glass darkened bottle;
- lack of light.
It is forbidden:
- metal containers;
- reuse after deep frying;
- allow water to enter.
Sunflower oil should be stored in a cool, dark place at a temperature of 5-18 degrees. Optimal: closet, closed balcony. It is advisable to pour from a plastic bottle into glass.
Summarize
- Vegetable oil is classified as refined and unrefined. Refined is used for culinary processing of products, unrefined - for salad dressing.
- Unrefined is stored for a year in a sealed form, refined - 24 months.
- After opening the bottle, refined oil is consumed within 40 days, unrefined oil - within 26 days.
- Storing an opened bottle in the refrigerator on the door increases the shelf life of the refined product to 110 days, and of the unrefined product to 44 days.
- Butter can be frozen, but only once. After defrosting, use it as usual.
- Remember that bright sunlight and heat change the natural properties of the oil, making it hazardous to health. Do not place bottles near the stove or on a windowsill.
The optimal place is a kitchen cabinet or the side shelf of the refrigerator. If you have a pantry or closet, you can store it there.
Shelf life
Deadlines vary for different types.
Refined:
- An unopened bottle can be stored for 2 years in a dark room, temperature up to 16-18 degrees.
- Opened packaging is stored for 14 days, temperatures up to 20 degrees are allowed. At temperatures up to 15 degrees it will last a month.
- The opened container can be placed in the refrigerator; carefully close the cap. The product will last for a month.
- In the freezer, the oil will not spoil for about a year while preserving its vitamins.
Unrefined:
- Cold pressed oil is good for 3-4 months if the packaging is sealed.
- Hot pressing will preserve the quality and vitamins for up to 10 months.
- An open bottle can be kept in the refrigerator for a month. Close the lid tightly.
- Place portions into small containers inside the freezer and store for 1 year. When defrosted, it will retain beneficial vitamins. It may thicken.
Opened packaging of any kind cannot be stored for longer than two months.
General recommendations
Oil is a rather difficult product to store, despite the fact that many people do not attach importance to this. In fact, in order to preserve its properties and taste for a long time, you will have to pay attention not only to the container for placing it, but also to the place itself.
When choosing a storage location, you need to consider 3 criteria:
- Lack of light. Artificial or natural light falling on a product quickly spoils its properties.
- Lack of heat. Reduced temperature is important for all types of product.
- The room temperature must be stable. Sudden changes in temperature and humidity also spoil the quality of the product.
If we talk about the choice of containers, you need to use hermetically sealed bottles, plates, bowls, since the ingress of oxygen leads to rapid oxidation of the oil, which is why it loses its taste and characteristics.
In addition, open storage of a product over time leads to the fact that it absorbs surrounding odors, especially when it comes to the refrigerator.
How to store sunflower oil
For judicious use, it is recommended to buy oil in small quantities. This advice applies primarily to the unrefined product, since it is used more slowly but spoils faster. There are general rules that must be followed for all types:
Can:
- store unopened plastic containers;
- pour into a glass bottle;
- place on the shelf of a closed cabinet/balcony.
It is forbidden:
- store near the stove/battery;
- place next to spices/fish/other strong-smelling foods;
- keep in the sun.
Storing oil in the closet and on the balcony
Refined
Refined oil is more stable and stores better than other oils. Due to the lack of taste and aroma, it is universal. Used for preparing hot dishes, dressings, canned food. Refined coconut oil also stores better.
Pros:
- has no foreign odor;
- high shelf life;
- no sediment.
Minuses:
- few nutrients;
- may contain a higher percentage of fat.
Do not buy a refined product that shows obvious signs of exposure to direct sunlight.
Unrefined
It has an active smell and taste - used for salads, cold appetizers, and vegetarian dishes.
Pros:
- lower oil consumption;
- fragrant, healthy.
Minuses:
- spoils quickly - the maximum effective period is one and a half months;
- you need to buy small containers.
Pay attention not only to the production date, but also to the bottling date. If you exceed four months from the date of bottling, you should not purchase the product.
Store exclusively in a dark place: closed cabinet/cellar/pantry. It is better to immediately pour this type of oil into a dark glass vessel with a narrow neck.
Raw sunflower oil should not be used if bitterness and sediment appear.
It is allowed to use an expired product for purposes other than its intended purpose - softening, moisturizing the skin of the hands/face, hair care. Apply it to your skin or mix it with cream. Can also be applied to eyelashes or rubbed onto cuticles. Not suitable for food!
How to store an opened bottle
An opened package of refined, deodorized oil can be stored for a maximum of two months. Subsequently, oxygen oxidizes the product, destroying useful microelements. Such oil can cause significant harm to health, including the occurrence of cancer.
Unrefined wine cannot be stored in an opened bottle for longer than 14 days. Therefore, it is recommended to buy small bottles and open them immediately before use. Olive oil should be purchased and stored in a small container.
Can it be stored in the refrigerator or freezer?
One-time freezing will not lead to a loss of quality, but will significantly increase the shelf life. After freezing, thickening and cloudiness are possible - this is not a sign of spoilage. When defrosted, the product will return to its original state. Frost retains beneficial properties.
The main advantage of refrigerated storage is that it extends the shelf life of opened packaging.
- Place plastic containers on the middle shelf of the refrigerator/inside the door.
- Check how tightly the lid is closed.
- Store until expiration date.
Do not place on the same shelf with strong-smelling foods, such as red salted fish, to avoid an unpleasant aftertaste. This is especially true for unrefined oil. Long-term freezing is unacceptable for it; its beneficial properties soon disappear and the product is only suitable for frying.
According to GOST
The shelf life (SG), defined by law as the period during which the product is suitable for use for its intended purpose (Article 472 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation), for vegetable oil is determined in relation to its specific type by by-laws (GOSTs) along with other conditions (production, storage, packaging):
| View Dear readers! To solve your problem right now, get a free consultation — contact the lawyer on duty in the online chat on the right or call: +7 (499) 938 6124 — Moscow and region. | GOST, no. |
| Sunflower | 1129-2013 dated 10/28/2013, 14083-68 dated 11/26/1968 (for export) |
| Linen | 5791-81 dated 04/21/1981 (technical) |
| Coconut | 10766-64 from 02.24.1964 |
| Rapeseed | 31759-2012 dated 11/29/2012 |
| Soy | 31760-2012 dated 11/29/2012 |
| Olive | There are no GOSTs, international standards and technical conditions apply: CODEX STAN 33-1981 dated 01/01/1981 (general); UNE 34606 dated 21.11.2003 (packaging requirements); TU 9141-003-80216659-2014 dated 01/01/2014; TU 9141-001-26065327-2012 dated 05/21/2012 (packaged) |
General requirements for packaging and storage conditions are established by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union for fat and oil products dated December 9, 2011 No. 024/2011.
SanPiN 1197-74 dated November 18, 1974 establishes sanitary rules for enterprises producing vegetable oils (for equipment, storage conditions for raw materials, lighting, disinfection).
IMPORTANT: in addition to SG, there is also a shelf life - a period of time during which the product retains all its consumer qualities. It may expire earlier than the nominal period indicated on the packaging if the product loses its properties, for example due to improper storage conditions.
How to tell if a product has gone bad
The main signs of spoilage, provided that the product has not previously been frozen:
- cloudiness;
- presence of flakes/sediment/thickening;
- bitter taste;
- unpleasant pungent odor;
- the appearance of foam when heated;
- darkening of color, spotting.
If you experience any of the symptoms described, do not use the oil; this will help avoid food poisoning. It can only be used for technical purposes.
Useful tips
When choosing, please note that some labels may contain the following inscriptions: “no cholesterol”, “with vitamin E”. Is it worth paying attention to this? As for cholesterol, this is just a marketing ploy that helps increase sales. After all, it is known that cholesterol is found exclusively in animal fats; it is not naturally found in vegetable oils. But the presence of vitamin E is inherent in this product.
The benefits of unrefined sunflower oil should not be neglected; be sure to include it in your diet. But in everything you need to know when to stop; to get benefits, a person only needs three spoons a day.
The shelf life of vegetable oil, regardless of what seeds it is made from, depends on some general requirements for conditions, observing which you will always use a quality product.
