The Cost of Oil
Due to the multiple factors impacting on the price of cooking oil this has led to the high prices that we have seen in recent years, with the price of even a basic Soy oil going as high as £3 per ltr. Also having an impact on what you pay for your cooking oil is the value of crude mineral oil, this increases the value of biodiesel, therefore manufacturers are willing to pay higher for vegetable oil, also speculators have seen vegetable oil as a good investment, also increasing its value - and so the vicious circle continues and increases the market price.
TIP:
If you are looking for a new supplier shop around for what you think is the current market price then try to fix one supplier at this price for as long a period as possible.
Types of Frying Oils & Fats:
There are two main frying mediums for deep fat fryers, vegetable oils or animal fats.
Vegetable oils are used mainly by restaurants as their main frying medium; these oils are seen as healthier and therefore more appealing than animal fats. Some Chip shops will use vegetable oil for blanching chips prior to finishing in dripping.
Animal fat is used mainly in Fish and Chip shops, favoured because of the traditional flavours that it imparts to the food.
Vegetable Oils:
Vegetable oils are available in a number of formats, 5ltr plastic drums, 15ltr Bottle in Box (Light weight plastic bottle inside a cardboard liner), or 20ltr Bottle in Box or steel drum. There has also been a plastic bag in a cardboard box launched recently. In certain areas bulk supplies into 100ltr tanks permanently in your kitchen are available.
TIP:
A general rule of thumb for vegetable oil is the darker the colour and more viscous the oil, the higher the quality.
Animal Fats:
Fat from cattle (Tallow) and pigs (Lard) are the main types used for deep fat frying. There are many different qualities of beef tallow for frying are available, mainly depending on the age of the cattle from which it is sourced. Animal fat is used in Fish & Chip Shops, with beef dripping being the most popular, as a traditional frying medium, it is solid at room temperature and melts at 40-50C.
All About Used Cooking Oil:
Used cooking oil is classified as a waste, whilst being non-hazardous there is still legislation in place covering its disposal. As a producer of cooking oil waste you are required to ensure that your waste oil is collected by a Licensed Waste Carrier - this ensures that it is disposed of correctly, and a waste transfer note will be issued to you which can then be shown to any authorities that require you to demonstrate that the correct disposal requirements are being followed.
PuriFry are a fully licensed Waste Carrier and operate a fully licensed Waste Management Facility.
If you do not follow the correct disposal procedures you could face a substantial fine!
History of Used Cooking Oil:
In the past many farmers collected waste cooking oil from local restaurants to add to animal feed, paying for any collected. Commercial collection companies also provided this service where the oil was sold for use in both animal feeds and cosmetics among other things.
Margins in the market reduced to the point where it was no longer feasible for commercial companies to pay for the waste, legislation introduced in the past few years also banned waste fats and vegetable oils that had been used for cooking meats from being used in animal feeds, – this excluded farmers from legally collecting used oils for use on their farms. It is still allowed for used cooking oil that is certified to be used in animal feeds, for example from crisp factories. This ban was in no small part due to CJD and BSE, feeding waste oils with a fat content to animals was introducing this waste directly into the human food chain.
Payments for the waste was withdrawn by many companies, as the value decreased.
Polar Content
The best Internationally recognised method of measuring oil quality is through assessment of the level of Polar Content (Polar Material, Polar Compounds), vegetable oil is naturally non-polar in nature, but as the oil degrades through oxidation, polymerisation and hydrolysis the polar content increases, and when measured gives an indication of oil quality.
Health:
It has been recognised in many countries that there are contaminants within the oil that can lead to serious Health Issues, as an example through oxidation it has been demonstrated that harmful nutritional compounds form in the oil, which have resulted in conditions such as necrosis of the liver, retarded growth, hair loss and dermatitis in rats - this has led the way in limits being imposed on the maximum Polar Content within the oil ranging from 25-27%, measured using Laboratory testing, or on site with the use of a hand held meter.
Filtration Benefits:
Limitations exist in many countries on the maximum permissible Polar Content levels from 25% -27%, where it is a legal requirement that your oil remains below this level. In locations where Fryer Management practices have led to the limits being passed, filtration and the PuriFry service benefits our customers by limiting the increase of Polar Material through removal of the degrading contaminants.
Fryer Management Service
Comprehensive on-site Fryer Cleaning & Management Service available throughout Ireland.