The need for widely usable bioactive lipids and natural antioxidants continues to grow. Methods used for oils extraction may alter minor constituents that have functional properties and contribute to oil stability. In recent years, the demand of consumers for cold pressed oil as an alternative to conventional products has increased. This is probably due to the perception of these oils as natural, nutritional, and safe food products with better nutritive/healthy properties.
Cold pressed oils are easy to obtain. The process does not involve any heat treatment or solvent extraction. Therefore, the cold pressing technique results in a product that is free of organic solvents. The mechanical pressing does not require much energy and meets well the needs of small and medium-sized companies. Cold pressed oils are promoted as specialty oils and are usually available on the market at a higher price. Cold pressed oil products are reported to contain pro- and anti-oxidative compounds.
In recent years, the consumption of cold pressed oils has been increasing. The international market already include numerous cold pressed oils (e.g., grape seed, virgin olive, rapeseed oil, soybean, paprika, sesame, black cumin seed, amaranth, orange, lemon seed, grapefruit, pomegranate, chia seed, corn, sunflower, safflower, pumpkin, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut, pecan, clove, berries, oregano, rosehip, carrot, coriander, peanut, niger, rice bran, avocado, tomato seed, and argan). However, due to the high prices of cold pressed oils, they are exposed to adulteration with cheaper and lower-quality refined oils of vegetal origin. Several strategies have been applied to monitor and control the authenticity of cold pressed oils for reasons of both human health and demand, as well as with regard to controlling product quality in industrial laboratories. Among these, new frontiers are open toward the use of rapid analytical methods and chemometrics.
This Research Topic aims at reporting on recent advances in cold pressed oils as specialty oils mainly focusing on their composition, physicochemical characteristics, organoleptic attributes, nutritional quality, oxidative stability, food applications as well as functional and health-promoting traits.
Articles are expected to address the following topics:
- Evaluation procedures and quality attributes (e.g., distinction between virgin and extra virgin); yield, quality parameter and physicochemical properties; sensory and color attributes
- Compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical character in cold pressed oils
- Oxidative stability
- Impact of cold technologies: extracting and processing parameters
- Storage and shelf life evaluation
- Adulteration and authenticity
- Cold pressed cake as functional and value-added products
- Consumer’s perception
- Health Benefits
- Safety aspects and potential adverse reaction evaluations
- Conventional and innovative fields of applications
- Food Composition Database and dedicated Databases
- Regulatory Challenges
- Current and future applications and research needs
The need for widely usable bioactive lipids and natural antioxidants continues to grow. Methods used for oils extraction may alter minor constituents that have functional properties and contribute to oil stability. In recent years, the demand of consumers for cold pressed oil as an alternative to conventional products has increased. This is probably due to the perception of these oils as natural, nutritional, and safe food products with better nutritive/healthy properties.
Cold pressed oils are easy to obtain. The process does not involve any heat treatment or solvent extraction. Therefore, the cold pressing technique results in a product that is free of organic solvents. The mechanical pressing does not require much energy and meets well the needs of small and medium-sized companies. Cold pressed oils are promoted as specialty oils and are usually available on the market at a higher price. Cold pressed oil products are reported to contain pro- and anti-oxidative compounds.
In recent years, the consumption of cold pressed oils has been increasing. The international market already include numerous cold pressed oils (e.g., grape seed, virgin olive, rapeseed oil, soybean, paprika, sesame, black cumin seed, amaranth, orange, lemon seed, grapefruit, pomegranate, chia seed, corn, sunflower, safflower, pumpkin, hazelnut, pistachio, walnut, pecan, clove, berries, oregano, rosehip, carrot, coriander, peanut, niger, rice bran, avocado, tomato seed, and argan). However, due to the high prices of cold pressed oils, they are exposed to adulteration with cheaper and lower-quality refined oils of vegetal origin. Several strategies have been applied to monitor and control the authenticity of cold pressed oils for reasons of both human health and demand, as well as with regard to controlling product quality in industrial laboratories. Among these, new frontiers are open toward the use of rapid analytical methods and chemometrics.
This Research Topic aims at reporting on recent advances in cold pressed oils as specialty oils mainly focusing on their composition, physicochemical characteristics, organoleptic attributes, nutritional quality, oxidative stability, food applications as well as functional and health-promoting traits.
Articles are expected to address the following topics:
- Evaluation procedures and quality attributes (e.g., distinction between virgin and extra virgin); yield, quality parameter and physicochemical properties; sensory and color attributes
- Compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical character in cold pressed oils
- Oxidative stability
- Impact of cold technologies: extracting and processing parameters
- Storage and shelf life evaluation
- Adulteration and authenticity
- Cold pressed cake as functional and value-added products
- Consumer’s perception
- Health Benefits
- Safety aspects and potential adverse reaction evaluations
- Conventional and innovative fields of applications
- Food Composition Database and dedicated Databases
- Regulatory Challenges
- Current and future applications and research needs
