Grandpa Po's believes that an inherent obligation exists in the natural foods industry to be accurate, precise and honorable regarding product standards. Health, as an industry mission, cannot be compromised by disguising poor quality products with misleading technical nomenclature which implies qualities and properties that may not exist. Grandpa Po's Originals advocates strict compliance to truth-in-labeling as a fundamental policy that defines the natural foods industry. This is not only fair to consumers, but has the effect of making the natural foods industry self-regulating and engenders continued trust from consumers. Listed below are some basic terms and definitions for natural oils and their processing. Expeller Pressed An expeller press is a screw type machine which presses oil through a caged barrel-like cavity, using friction and continuous pressure from screw drives to move and compress the seed material. The oil spent (defatted) fiber is formed into a hardened cake which is released from the machine with the previously removed oil seeping through metal barrel slates that have small spacings to allow the oil to pass through without any seed fiber solids. Pressure involved in expeller pressing creates heat in the range of 60°-99° C, (140°-210° F). Vegetable oils in the natural foods/health foods industry are almost all of the expeller pressed type. Expeller oil pressing is a mechanical rather than chemical extraction process. This method results in no solvent (such as hexane or other petroleum-based distillents) left in the oil residues. High Oleic Oils High oleic varieties are oils that have been hybridized through traditional plant breeding to contain higher levels of monounsaturates (oleic acid). The rise in oleic acid increases the oil's stability and shelf life. High oleic oils have been bred to reduce polyunsaturated components and increase the monounsaturated content. High oleic oils should have at least 90% of the oleic content similar to olive oil. Olive oil is the benchmark for good culinary oleic-based oils. This means that an oil should be at least 75% oleic by total fat content to be regarded as high oleic. High oleic oils perform well in medium to high heat cooking applications, such as deep frying or high heat sauteing.> Hydrogenated Fats and Oils Hydrogenated fats are oils that have been processed through a chemical hardening method to achieve increased plasticity (stiffness) of the liquid oils at room temperature. Partial hydrogenation (brush hydrogenation) hardens oils but does not make them fully solid. Full hydrogenation requires complete conversion of a liquid oil into a solid fat at room temperature (72° F). A fully hydrogenated oil has natural saturated fats left intact and all the remaining mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids become converted from their fluid configuration to a full trans fat rigid configuration. (See Trans Fatty Acids or Trans Fats). Trans Fatty Acid Trans fatty acids are synthetic saturated fats. They are generally man-made, however they can form naturally in cow's milk with up to 14% butter fat, and can also occur in vegetable fats (through hydrogenation). The hydrogen molecules attached at the center of the fatty acid carbon chain flips 180 degrees, which straightens the natural curve or kink in the typical cis-configured fat. When converted, the cis-shape chemically alters to a trans configuration and hence is called a trans fat. Most margarine and vegetable shortening have been trans fat converted through full or partial hydrogenation process. Trans fats interfere with metabolic absorption efficiencies and tend to congregate at adipose tissue sites. They are difficult to excrete from the body and are a low quality energy source. Copyright 2005 Nutra Nuts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.