The small class of oil knowledge begins!

Chinese food culture has a long history.

Decoct, frying and stew three meals a day,

We are all inseparable from oil.

As the second largest crop in China,

Constantly stimulating the taste buds,

Open the carnival on the tip of your tongue.

What are the types of "oil bottles" in China?

What knowledge is closely related to health?

Today, small farmers invited

Rapeseed genetic breeder, academician of China Academy of Engineering.

Wang Hanzhong,

Ask experts to talk about the knowledge of edible vegetable oil for everyone.

　 　 　 　What is an oil crop?

Oil crops refer to a kind of crops that mainly produce oil and protein, and the proportion of oil and protein in their seeds exceeds 50%. The representative crops are rape, soybean, peanut, sesame and sunflower.

In addition to the above herbaceous oil crops, perennial woody oil plants such as camellia oleifera, oil palm, coconut and walnut are also good oil plants.

Main oil crops

oil seed rape

"The world sees China for rape", and China is the origin of rape, which has been cultivated for thousands of years.

Rapeseed is the largest source of edible oil for plants in China, and it is the most widely distributed and planted oil crop in China. In China, winter rape is mainly planted, which is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River basin and the south of the Yellow River, while spring rape planting area is relatively small, which is concentrated in the north of the Yellow River.

The main types of rape cultivated in China are Brassica napus and Brassica napus. Brassica napus (small rape) evolved from Chinese cabbage in northwest China, and Brassica napus evolved from natural hybridization between Chinese cabbage and cabbage in the Mediterranean basin, which is a common rape type at present.

Rapeseed oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic acid and linolenic acid, of which omega-3 accounts for about 10% and omega-6 accounts for about 20%. These fatty acids are very important for cardiovascular health, which helps to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease.

1. Omega-3 is a general term for a class of unsaturated fatty acids. It cannot be synthesized by itself in human body, and it must be supplemented by the outside world, which can reduce the level of triglycerides, reduce the production of fat and inhibit the synthesis of other fatty acids.

2. Omega-6 is one of the fatty acids needed by human body, which can’t be synthesized by itself in human body. It has the function of synthesizing prostaglandin and other regulatory molecules, which can reduce blood viscosity. Omega-6 will be converted into fatty acids needed for infant brain development in human body to promote normal brain development.

soybean

Soybean originated in China, and has been an important food crop in China since ancient times, with a cultivation history of more than 5,000 years. The main production areas are concentrated in Northeast China, Huanghuai River Basin and some southern regions.

Like rape, soybean oil is rich in linolenic acid and omega-6, of which omega-3 accounts for about 9% and omega-6 accounts for nearly 30%, which are important sources of essential fatty acids for human body.

peanut

Peanut, a leguminous peanut belonging to panicum miliaceum, is a kind of nut widely planted in China, which is rich in yield and deeply loved by people. It is also called "longevity fruit" and "mudou".

China is the first major producer of peanuts, and the main producing areas are mainly Huang-Huai River Basin, such as Shandong and Henan.

The main components of peanuts include protein, fat and sugar. From the point of view of oil, peanut has high oleic acid content, and omega-6 accounts for a relatively high proportion, which can effectively reduce low-density cholesterol. Moreover, there are sterols in peanut oil, and regular consumption of peanuts also plays a certain role in preventing coronary heart disease.

sesame

　 　 　 Sesame is an important oil crop in China. Common sesame seeds are mainly black and white, of which black is mainly used for eating, while white is mostly used for oil extraction.

Sesame is widely planted in China, mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, with more distribution in Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Hebei and other provinces.

Sesame seeds contain about 45%-55% oil and 17%-27% protein. The oil extracted from sesame seeds has a fragrant smell and can be used as edible oil and medicine.

sunflower

Sunflower, a tall annual herb in Compositae, is native to North America and cultivated all over the world. Sunflower planting in China is mainly concentrated in arid areas such as northwest and northeast China.

The oil content of sunflower seeds can reach 45%-60%, and it is delicious. The content of omega-6 in sunflower seed oil is high, reaching about 60%, which has many benefits for removing vascular garbage and preventing cardiovascular diseases. The fly in the ointment is that the content of omega-3 in sunflower is relatively low, only about 1%.

Woody oil crops

tea-oil tree

Camellia oil is an edible vegetable oil extracted from the mature seeds of Camellia oleifera. It grows in the mountains and hilly areas of subtropical humid climate areas in southern China, and the main producing areas are in southern China.

The oil content of Camellia oleifera is not high, generally around 20%-30%, and the unsaturated fatty acid content is as high as 90%. Compared with common rapeseed oil, soybean oil and peanut oil, the "oil efficiency" is not ideal.

walnut

Walnut is one of the world-famous "Four Dried Fruits" and has the reputation of "longevity fruit" among the people.

The oil content of walnut is far ahead among many woody oil plants, and its kernel oil content is as high as 70%, so it is also called "oil depot on the tree".

Walnut oil is the most nutritious variety among woody plants, with its omega-3 content accounting for about 10% and omega-6 content accounting for 30%-40%, especially the northern Xinjiang walnut oil, which can be comparable to the high-quality rapeseed oil on the market. However, the omega-3 content of walnut oil in southern China is relatively low, about 2%.

In addition, walnuts are also rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and various vitamins, which are of great benefit to children’s physical and intellectual development. In recent years, walnut oil has become a new generation of walnut products, and it is a woody oil crop with the best health effect, which has been loved by many consumers.

Chinese olive

Olive oil is made from fresh olive fruit by direct cold pressing. The main producing countries of olive are concentrated in Mediterranean coastal countries, and are mainly planted in Longnan, Gansu and northern Sichuan in China.

The oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acid) content of olive oil is extremely high, reaching 80%. Eating oil rich in monounsaturated fatty acids is beneficial to lowering "bad cholesterol" (low-density cholesterol) and raising "good cholesterol" (high-density cholesterol) in blood, so it is especially praised by people all over the world. Moreover, due to the low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and linolenic acid), the heat resistance is good and the oxidation risk is relatively small.

The fly in the ointment is that olive oil and camellia oil have a common shortcoming, that is, they almost do not contain an essential fatty acid-α -linolenic acid, which will do great harm to human health if the diet is lacking for a long time.

palm

Palm oil is a tropical woody plant oil. Southeast Asia and Africa are the main producing areas of palm oil, accounting for about 80% of the world’s total palm oil production. Indonesia, Malaysia and Nigeria are the top three producers in the world. China’s palm oil production is not high, and most of it depends on imports.

In terms of oil content, experts said that the farther south palm oil is, the higher the oil saturation is, and the oleic acid content in Malaysian palm oil can reach 50%.

Experts reminded that although woody oil crops have both ecological and economic values, it is not advisable to plant woody oil plants by deforestation. The effective development of woody oil crops in the future needs further exploration.

In fact, there are many oil crops in China, such as corn, perilla and cotton, which are all excellent oil crops.

Review began on the banks of the Yellow River,

Over 5,000 years of farming history in China,

The ancestors expanded the boundaries of the fields step by step,

Explore the growth of crops,

Enrich the dining table of the people.

What other oil crops are you interested in?

Welcome to discuss with small farmers.