Fried vegetables in olive oil, contain higher levels of natural phenols, antioxidants that are linked with prevention of chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes and macular degeneration (macular degeneracy – a disease that causes blindness), in accordance with the results of a study published in the latest issue of the journal Food Chemistry. But olive oil must be Extra virgin first cold pressed. Thus, the products will retain all their nutritional properties.
Researchers from the University of Granada (Spain) performed a comparative analysis of the effects of three methods of cooking vegetables to preserve their nutritional qualities. Vegetables cooked in boiling water, in a mixture of water and olive oil and roasted in olive oil.
With olive oil, the maximum concentration of antioxidants
The results of this study showed that the goodness of the vegetables preserved most, if they are fried in olive oil. According to scientists, perhaps because the vegetables were enriched with phenols of olive oil, which does not occur during other cooking methods.
That’s what literally the study authors write in their report:
“Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and pumpkin prepared deep-fried, fried and cooked with Mediterranean olive oil. We determined the fat content, moisture, total phenols (TPC) and eighteen phenolic compounds and antioxidants in raw vegetables, and compared them with the number after cooking. Hot and quenching led to the increase in the fat content and TPC, while both types of boiling (water and water /oil) and reduces their number. Using olive oil in cooking increases the amount of these phenols in the products, such as oleuropein, pinoresinol, can tyrosol, chlorogenic acid and rutin.”
“Comparing the levels of total phenols of fresh vegetables, we’ve seen them increase and decrease depending on the cooking method. Roasting is a method that allows to obtain a significant increase in related phenolic fractions. Frying vegetables with olive oil increases the production of phenols, which protect the cells of our body, “explains Cristina Samaniego sánchez, researcher at the Department of nutrition of the University of Granada and the head of research.
