5 Most Popular Bulk Oil Ingredients Used In Natural & Specialty Foods

Posted by Hannah Broaddus

Non-GMO Specialty Food Oil IngredientsAs a oil ingredient supplier, we work with many of the top food manufacturers in the natural and specialty foods industry. This gives us unique insight into ingredient trends, to see which oils are most popular, and which are becoming the new rage.

Ten years ago, most food manufacturers used primarily mainstream, conventional oils: peanut, corn, soybean and canola oil. As the natural and specialty food industry has blossomed, there’s been a greater shift towards more health-conscious choices.

In recent years, demand for non-GMO oils has spiked dramatically, as more and more manufactured goods are adding the non-GMO claim to their packaging. In fact, “Non-GMO” is now the fastest growing store brand claim¹. As a result, demand for these oils is only predicted to grow.

This industry shift towards healthier oils poses a new question for your business. Whether you’re a budding new brand, or a food manufacturing giant looking to move away from conventional oil ingredients, you must start by asking yourself this:

Which oil is really right for me?

Find the Right Oil For Your Specialty Food Product

To start your comparison off, here are the 5 most popular oils in the natural foods industry today, and what they’re ideally used in. Keep in mind, this list is in no particular order.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one of the higher end options available. It is the fruit juice squeezed from the olive, and it has renowned health properties. It has a stronger taste profile than many of the other options, because it is not refined in any way.

Given that it’s a cold pressed oil, it has a lower smoke point and doesn’t tolerate heat very well. Because of that, it is not ideal for frying or any high-heat cooking methods. It retains it’s taste profile best in cold goods, like pestos and dressings, though it can also be used in low-mid heat baking.

Given that it is a higher end oil, it is well-regarded and customers enjoy seeing it on an ingredient label. However, it does have a higher price point than many of the other options.

Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil

This oil is an alternative to standard canola oil and is rapidly gaining popularity in recent years. It’s made from non-GMO seeds harvested from the canola plant, and is expeller pressed. This oil has a higher heat tolerance than olive oil, and is ideal for baking, cooking and sautéing. Some food manufacturer’s also use it as a frying oil.

This is a great option for manufacturers who already successfully produce a product with regular canola oil, because you can make a simple and easy switch. The taste profile is the same and it doesn’t require any ingredients to be re-evaluated.

Non-GMO Safflower Oil - High Oleic

Safflower Oil is a non-GMO oil ingredient, which has recently experienced a boost in popularity in the natural foods industry. This oil is expeller pressed from the seeds of the safflower plant, a thistle plant grown in hot, dry areas.

It is commonly used for frying and baking, and it has a high heat tolerance. It has a light color and taste profile, making this oil ideal for many different ethnicities of food. Many snack products at the Fancy Food Show in winter 2014 featured this ingredient, often in combination with non-GMO sunflower oil.

Non-GMO Sunflower Oil - High Oleic

Sunflower Oil, while it has been around for many years, has just also recently experienced a boost in popularity. This oil is nutrient rich, expeller pressed from the seeds of sunflowers, and is a non-gmo oil.

Like safflower, it is also ideal for high heat cooking, baking and frying. It has a light color and taste profile, which makes it ideal for many different types of foods.

Rice Bran Oil

Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the husk of rice, the hard outer brown layer of chaff. It has a high smoke point, mild flavor and a very long shelf life. While it’s been a long standing popular oil in asian foods, it is rapidly gaining popularity as a cooking and frying oil here in the US.

Analyze and Select The Right Oil

As you’re searching for the right oil ingredient for your product, it’s helpful to consider how similar businesses are making the same types of choices. The following steps are the most common analysis/selection process used by food manufacturer’s in the natural food industry.

  1. Determine the taste profile and maximum heat tolerance that you’re going to need to make your product.
  2. Talk with your supplier about your food product, taste profile and goals on how you would like it to turn out. Ask for oil ingredient suggestions.
  3. Receive spec sheets on each oil-- compare smoke points, flavor profiles, etc.
  4. Request samples of a couple different potential oil ingredients. Keep in mind, if you’ll need larger samples (more than a small bottle) it’s likely you’ll need to purchase them.
  5. Do actual test runs with each potential oil through R&D to see how they’ll work.
  6. Consider how your target market will react to each oil ingredient-- will a particular ingredient choice cause an increase in sales or give you a unique marketing point?
  7. Compare pricing of each oil.
  8. Make your final selection.

Best of luck on your search for the perfect oil ingredient for your product!

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¹ The Nielsen Company

Topics: Comparing Oils, Canola Oil, Non-GMO

 

 

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