FAQ: find answers in advance

Yes, Albaöl and its three product variants do not contain any animal ingredients. None of their ingredients are derived from animal products. All Albaöl products are purely plant-based and therefore also suitable for vegan and vegetarian dishes.

The European Foundation for Allergy Research (ECARF), based at the Charité in Berlin, awards products and services with the quality seal if they make the lives of allergy sufferers easier. Albaöl was the first cooking oil in the world to receive this seal because it does not contain any of the 14 allergens that require declaration.
Albaöl HC and Albaöl Bio were also awarded the ECARF seal.

No.

Yes, because the widespread belief that polyunsaturated fatty acids are destroyed by heat or turn into trans fatty acids is a rumor. It probably first appeared in connection with canola oil, a rapeseed oil produced in Canada.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are not destroyed by heat. Omega-3 fatty acids can withstand temperatures of 260 °C.

A notable change in the fatty acid composition of an oil only occurs under very extreme conditions. These conditions are not met either when producing Albaöl or when frying with Albaöl. In general, the following applies: Except during fat hardening (hydrogenation), it is extremely rare for vegetable oils to produce a significant amount of trans fatty acids. High temperatures alone are not sufficient for the formation of trans fatty acids. The necessary conditions are only met if the oil is exposed to these extremely high temperatures for a correspondingly long time, at high pressure and in conjunction with a suitable catalyst.

Analyzes carried out in Sweden in January 2008, which examined the behavior of α-linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) when exposed to heat, also showed that the polyunsaturated fatty acids in Albaöl do not “disappear” when heated. They have shown that the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids remains stable even when exposed to heat. The corresponding samples were tested according to the IUPAC 2.304 method and were a) heated to 190 °C and exposed to this temperature for 15 minutes and b) heated to 225 °C and exposed to this temperature for 30 minutes. In both tests, the fatty acid composition of the product did not change [the changes that occurred in b) are 0.1% and can therefore be considered insignificant].

What can burn in an oil are the fat accompanying substances. But these only burn when the smoke point is reached. This means: The smoke point is crucial to how heat stable an oil is. The smoke point of Albaöl is 220 °C.

Yes, up to 220°C. Analyzes carried out in January 2008, in which the behavior of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) when exposed to heat was examined, showed that the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids remains stable even when exposed to heat.

The corresponding samples were tested according to the IUPAC 2.304 method

a) heated to 190 ° C and exposed to this temperature for 15 minutes and
b) heated to 225 ° C and exposed to this temperature for 30 minutes.

In both tests, the fatty acid composition of the product did not change [the changes that occurred in b) are 0.1% and can therefore be considered insignificant].

The emulsifier is added so that the water-insoluble oil can mix with water (crucial for the preparation of sauces and dressings) and the water is bound. The latter is important when frying and is the reason why Albaöl and its product variants hardly splatter when frying. Furthermore, the emulsifier makes the oil thin, making it easier to spray and more economical to dose.

Beta-carotene is not only a coloring agent, but also serves as an antioxidant. It protects the oil from attack by atmospheric oxygen and thus inhibits oxidation. In this way, it prevents the oil from aging prematurely. It also reduces the destruction of air-sensitive vitamins and amino acids and is itself a provitamin that is converted into vitamin A in the body.

Like any other cooking oil, Albaöl should be stored in a dark place. If the bottle has been opened, storing it in a cool place is ideal. If rapeseed oil is stored below 7 °C, flocculation occurs, but this does not affect the quality.

If you want to use the particularly fat-saving, low-calorie spray method for Albaöl, Albaöl should be at room temperature. This way you get the oil viscosity required for a good spraying result.

In terms of taste, rapeseed oil is not for everyone. The nutty taste, which is particularly typical of cold-pressed rapeseed oil, overshadows the food's own taste and is perceived by some people as seedy or slightly bitter. The neutral taste of many commercially available rapeseed oils also does not convince the real gourmet - no matter how nutritionally conscious they are. For generations, the taste of butter has been the highest feeling for many people - when frying, baking, steaming, etc. This has been taken into account in Sweden: a heat-resistant oil was developed in Dalby, Scandinavia, which combines the nutritional benefits of rapeseed oil with a unique butter taste. Albaöl, “invented” by Alf Qvist in the midst of bright yellow rapeseed fields, has now become the “shooting star” of many nutrition-conscious connoisseurs – including here in Germany.

According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, the percentage of overweight and obese people in the population of western industrialized countries has been steadily increasing for several decades. This applies to adults as well as children and young people. In Germany, around two thirds of the male population and around half of the female population are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are associated with the significant increase in various secondary diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and orthopedic diseases (see Robert Koch Institute: Overweight and Obesity. Federal Health Reporting, Issue 16. Berlin: RKI 2003, amended edition 2005.

These alarming figures have led to “healthy eating” being on everyone’s lips today. One of the most discussed topics is the topic of “fat”. The DGE fat guidelines (2006) not only show the connection between total fat intake and individual selected diseases, but also the connection between the content of individual fatty acids in the diet and the development of the diseases.

Albaöl has a fatty acid pattern that is highly recommended from a nutritional perspective. Further information at Health.

Botanically speaking, rapeseed (Brassica napus) belongs to the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae), like cabbage and mustard. It probably emerged from a spontaneous cross between wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and turnip (Brassica rapa). The original distribution areas of these two species overlap in the Mediterranean region, which is why this is considered the area of ​​origin of rapeseed. Rapeseed is a relatively old cultivated plant that was already known to the Romans. Because of its up to fifty percent oil content, rapeseed has been used as a cultivated plant for centuries, initially primarily as fuel for oil lamps.

For the generation of our parents and grandparents, “good butter” was still the “non-plus-ultra” in the diet. In times of emergency and crisis, only the “breadwinner” in the family was entitled to this. Women and children usually did not benefit and had to make do with less tasty alternatives. The bitter-tasting rapeseed oil with its high content of erucic acid, which is now considered to be harmful to the heart muscle, was one of the last alternatives.

The prerequisite for this were two important breeding successes in the 70s and 80s, which took place without any of the genetic engineering or cell biology processes that are common today. The result was “double-zero rapeseed” that was low in erucic acid and glucosinolate. These new rapeseed varieties became an interesting raw material for the food industry because they provided a digestible oil without the original scratchy, bitter taste. Rapeseed oil is not only digestible, but also healthy (see “Nutrition and dietetics” below) and is therefore enjoying increasing popularity.