Smoke point

"Burning point" redirects here. For the Finnish band, see Burning Point.

"Burning point" redirects here. For the lowest temperature at which a substance starts burning, see Autoignition temperature.

The smoke point, also referred to as the burning point, is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to produce a continuous bluish smoke that becomes clearly visible, dependent upon specific and defined conditions.^[1] Smoke point values can vary greatly, depending on factors such as the volume of oil utilized, the size of the container, the presence of air currents, the type and source of light as well as the quality of the oil and its acidity content, otherwise known as free fatty acid (FFA) content.^[2] The more FFA an oil contains, the quicker it will break down and start smoking.^[2][3] The lower the value of FFA, the higher the smoke point.^[4] However, the FFA content typically represents less than 1% of the total oil and consequently renders smoke point a poor indicator of the capacity of a fat or oil to withstand heat.^[4][5][6]

Temperature

The smoke point of an oil correlates with its level of refinement.^[7][8] Many cooking oils have smoke points above standard home cooking temperatures:^[9]

• Pan frying (sauté) on stove top heat: 120 °C (248 °F)
• Deep frying: 160–180 °C (320–356 °F)
• Oven baking: Average of 180 °C (356 °F)

Smoke point decreases at different pace in different oils.^[10]

Considerably above the temperature of the smoke point is the flash point, the point at which the vapours from the oil can ignite in air, given an ignition source.

The following table presents smoke points of various fats and oils.

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Fat	Quality	Smoke point[caution 1]
Almond oil		221 °C	430 °F[11]
Avocado oil	Refined	271 °C	520 °F[12][13]
Avocado oil	Unrefined	250 °C	482 °F[14]
Beef tallow		250 °C	480 °F
Butter		150 °C	302 °F[15]
Ghee/Butter	Clarified	250 °C	482 °F[16]
Castor oil	Refined	200 °C[17]	392 °F
Coconut oil	Refined, dry	204 °C	400 °F[18]
Coconut oil	Unrefined, dry expeller pressed, virgin	177 °C	350 °F[18]
Corn oil		230–238 °C[19]	446–460 °F
Corn oil	Unrefined	178 °C[17]	352 °F
Cottonseed oil	Refined, bleached, deodorized	220–230 °C[20]	428–446 °F
Flaxseed oil	Unrefined	107 °C	225 °F[13]
Grape seed oil		216 °C	421 °F
Lard		190 °C	374 °F[15]
Mustard oil		250 °C	480 °F[21]
Olive oil	Refined	199–243 °C	390–470 °F[22]
Olive oil	Virgin	210 °C	410 °F
Olive oil	Extra virgin, low acidity, high quality	207 °C	405 °F[13][23]
Olive oil	Extra virgin	190 °C	374 °F[23]
Palm oil	Fractionated	235 °C[24]	455 °F
Peanut oil	Refined	232 °C[13]	450 °F
Peanut oil		227–229 °C[13][25]	441–445 °F
Peanut oil	Unrefined	160 °C[13]	320 °F
Pecan oil		243 °C[26]	470 °F
Rapeseed oil (Canola)		220–230 °C[27]	428–446 °F
Rapeseed oil (Canola)	Expeller press	190–232 °C	375–450 °F[28]
Rapeseed oil (Canola)	Refined	204 °C	400 °F
Rapeseed oil (Canola)	Unrefined	107 °C	225 °F
Rice bran oil	Refined	232 °C[29]	450 °F
Safflower oil	Unrefined	107 °C	225 °F[13]
Safflower oil	Semirefined	160 °C	320 °F[13]
Safflower oil	Refined	266 °C	510 °F[13]
Sesame oil	Unrefined	177 °C	350 °F[13]
Sesame oil	Semirefined	232 °C	450 °F[13]
Soybean oil		234 °C[30]	453 °F
Sunflower oil	Neutralized, dewaxed, bleached & deodorized	252–254 °C[31]	486–489 °F
Sunflower oil	Semirefined	232 °C[13]	450 °F
Sunflower oil		227 °C[13]	441 °F
Sunflower oil	Unrefined, first cold-pressed, raw	107 °C[32]	225 °F
Sunflower oil, high oleic	Refined	232 °C	450 °F[13]
Sunflower oil, high oleic	Unrefined	160 °C	320 °F[13]
Vegetable oil blend	Refined	220 °C[23]	428 °F

1. Specified smoke, fire, and flash points of any fat and oil can be misleading: they depend almost entirely upon the free fatty acid content, which increases during storage or use. The smoke point of fats and oils decreases when they are at least partially split into free fatty acids and glycerol; the glycerol portion decomposes to form acrolein, which is the major source of the smoke evolved from heated fats and oils. A partially hydrolyzed oil therefore smokes at a lower temperature than non-hydrolyzed oil. (Adapted from Gunstone, Frank D., ed. (17 March 2011). Vegetable Oils in Food Technology: Composition, Properties and Uses. Wiley, Inc. OCLC 1083187382.)

Oxidative stability

Main article: Rancidification

Hydrolysis and oxidation are the two primary degradation processes that occur in an oil during cooking.^[10] Oxidative stability is how resistant an oil is to reacting with oxygen, breaking down and potentially producing harmful compounds while exposed to continuous heat. Oxidative stability is the best predictor of how an oil behaves during cooking.^[33][34][35]

The Rancimat method is one of the most common methods for testing oxidative stability in oils.^[35] This determination entails speeding up the oxidation process in the oil (under heat and forced air), which enables its stability to be evaluated by monitoring volatile substances associated with rancidity. It is measured as "induction time" and recorded as total hours before the oil breaks down. Canola oil requires 7.5 hours, for example, whereas extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and virgin coconut oil will last over a day at 110 °C (230 °F) of continuous heat.^[9] The differing stabilities correlate with lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are more prone to oxidation. EVOO is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, conferring stability. Some plant cultivars have been bred to produce "high-oleic" oils with more monounsaturated oleic acid and less polyunsaturated linoleic acid for enhanced stability.^[9]

The oxidative stability does not directly correspond to the smoke point and thus the latter cannot be used as a reference for safe and healthy cooking.^[36]

See also

• Boiling point
• Combustion
• Drying oil
• Flash point
• Fire point
• Kindling point (Autoignition temperature)

References

1. American Oil Chemists' Society (2011). "AOCS Official Method Cc 9a-48, Smoke, Flash and Fire Points Cleveland Open Cup Method". Official methods and recommended practices of the AOCS - (6th ed.). Champaign, Ill. : American Oil Chemists' Society.
2. Thomas, Alfred (2002). Fats and Fatty Oils. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wenheim: Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.
3. Bastida, SS; et al. (2001). "Thermal oxidation of olive oil, sunflower oil and a mix of both oils during forty continuous domestic fryings of different foods". Food Science and Technology International. 7: 15–21. doi:10.1106/1898-plw3-6y6h-8k22. S2CID 97919860.
4. Gennaro, L.; et al. (1998). "Effect of biophenols on olive oil stability evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 46 (11): 4465–4469. doi:10.1021/jf980562q.
5. Gomez-Alonso, S.; et al. (2003). "Changes in phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of virgin olive oil during frying". J Agric Food Chem. 51 (3): 667–72. doi:10.1021/jf025932w. PMID 12537439.
6. Chen, W.; et al. (2013). "Total polar compounds and acid values of repeatedly used frying oils measured by standard and rapid methods" (PDF). J Food Drug Anal. 21 (1): 85.
7. Boickish, Michael (1998). Fats and oils handbook. Champaign, IL: AOCS Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-935315-82-0.
8. Morgan, D.A. (1942). "Smoke, fire, and flash points of cottonseed, peanut, and other vegetable oils". Oil & Soap. 19 (11): 193–198. doi:10.1007/BF02545481. S2CID 93662177.
9. Gray, S (June 2015). "Cooking with extra virgin olive oil" (PDF). ACNEM Journal. 34 (2): 8–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
10. Monoj K. Gupta; Kathleen Warner; Pamela J. White (2004). Frying technology and Practices. AOCS Press, Champaign, Illinois.
11. Marcus, Jacqueline B. (2013). Culinary Nutrition: The Science and Practice of Healthy Cooking. Academic Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-012-391882-6. Table 2-3 Smoke Points of Common Fats and Oils.
12. "Smoking Points of Fats and Oils". What’s Cooking America.
13. "Smoke Point of Oils". Baseline of Health. Jonbarron.org. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
14. Marie Wong; Cecilia Requejo-Jackman; Allan Woolf (April 2010). "What is unrefined, extra virgin cold-pressed avocado oil?". Aocs.org. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
15. The Culinary Institute of America (2011). The Professional Chef (9th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-42135-2. OCLC 707248142.
16. "Smoke Point of different Cooking Oils". Charts Bin. 2011.
17. Detwiler, S. B.; Markley, K. S. (1940). "Smoke, flash, and fire points of soybean and other vegetable oils". Oil & Soap. 17 (2): 39–40. doi:10.1007/BF02543003.
18. "Introducing Nutiva Organic Refined Coconut Oil". Nutiva. Archived from the original on 2015-02-14.
19. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 284. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
20. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 214. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
21. "Mustard Seed Oil". Clovegarden.
22. "Olive Oil Smoke Point". Retrieved 2016-08-25.
23. Gray, S (June 2015). "Cooking with extra virgin olive oil" (PDF). ACNEM Journal. 34 (2): 8–12.
24. (in Italian) Scheda tecnica dell'olio di palma bifrazionato PO 64.
25. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 234. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
26. Ranalli N, Andres SC, Califano AN (Jul 2017). "Dulce de leche‐like product enriched with emulsified pecan oil: Assessment of physicochemical characteristics, quality attributes, and shelf‐life". European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. doi:10.1002/ejlt.201600377. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
27. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 121. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
28. "What is the "truth" about canola oil?". Spectrum Organics, Canola Oil Manufacturer. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
29. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 303. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
30. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 92. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
31. Vegetable Oils in Food Technology (2011), p. 153. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFVegetable_Oils_in_Food_Technology2011 (help)
32. "Organic unrefined sunflower oil". Retrieved 18 December 2016.
33. Fats and oils in human nutrition. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. 1994. ISBN 978-92-5-103621-1. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013.
34. Nwosu, V.; et al. Oxidative Stability of various oils as determined by Rancimat Method. Department of Food Science.: North Carolina State University.
35. Methrom. "Oxidative stability of oils and fats - Rancimat method". Application Bulletin. 204/2 e.
36. "Evaluation of Chemical and Physical Changes in Different Commercial Oils during Heating" (PDF).

External links

• Cooking For Engineers: Smoke Point of Various Fats - another list of smoke points along with some discussion on the subject
• Good Eats: Cooking Oil Smoke Points
• The Culinary Institute of America (1996). The New Professional Chef (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.