Food regulator revisits standards for oil reuse

NEW DELHI: India’s top food regulatory body, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has initiated a process that sets a maximum limit beyond which edible oils become unsafe and must not be reused.

In the absence of guidelines, restaurants and vendors often reuse oil, particularly for deep frying, to cut costs. Oils undergo chemical changes when heated, which forms several by-products that can cause health issues. Consumption of these can lead to acidity, stomach ulcers, rise in bad cholesterol, blocked arteries and even cancer over a prolonged period of time.

“The process has just begun; it can take a few months before the final limit is decided. The proposal will go through a scientific panel, a scientific committee, and then a note will be sent to the health ministry for approval,” said a senior official at FSSAI, requesting anonymity.

One of the most reliable and widely-used methods of determining the quality of the oil is the level of total polar compounds (TPC), which can be used to continually monitor the changes in oil quality during frying.