Grape seed oil is a byproduct of winemaking and is extracted from grape seeds. It is often promoted as healthy due to its high amounts of polyunsaturated fat and vitamin E. Grape seed oil is used in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and beauty industries. Here are some positive and negative aspects of grape seed oil:
Positive:
- Grape seed oil is a good source of vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant and helps protect the body from damage caused by free radicals.
- Grape seed oil is high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which have been linked to various health benefits such as reducing inflammation and improving heart health.
- Grape seed oil has been found to have anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties.
Negative:
- Grape seed oil is low in most nutrients, and like many other vegetable oils, it is not a good source of other vitamins or minerals.
- Most commercially available grape seed oil is made using chemical solvents like hexane, which is classified as an air pollutant and neurotoxin. It is unclear what effect consuming these solvents has on humans in trace amounts.
- Grape seed oil contains small amounts of vitamin E, but other oils like safflower oil, cottonseed oil, or rice bran oil contain greater amounts.
Ingredients or materials:
- The fatty acid composition of grape seed oil is as follows: Saturated: 10%, Monounsaturated: 16%, Polyunsaturated: 70% .
- Grape seed oil contains a large amount of phenolic compounds, including flavonoids, carotenoids, phenolic acids, tannins, and stilbenes.
- Grape seed oil also contains 0.8 to 1.5% unsaponifiables rich in phenols (tocopherols) and steroids (campesterol, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol) .
- The following table lists a typical fatty acid composition of grape seed oil:
- Linoleic acid: ω−6 unsaturated, 69.6%
- Oleic acid: ω−9 unsaturated, 15.8%
- Palmitic acid (Hexadecanoic acid): Saturated, 7%
- Stearic acid (Octadecanoic acid): Saturated, 4%
- Alpha-linolenic acid: ω−3 unsaturated, 0.1%
- Palmitoleic acid (9-Hexadecenoic acid): ω−7 unsaturated, less than 1% .
