EFFECT OF COOKING OIL TYPE ON FINAL CHOLESTEROL CONTENT AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF GROUND BEEF

The purpose of this study was to compare three oils for extraction of cholesterol when used to cook ground beef and to determine the effect of oil type on fatty acid composition of the ground beef. Ground beef (30 % fat) was cooked in 1 L of corn, canola or palm oil at 100–110C and then rinsed with 500 ml of boiling water, which significantly decreased ether-extractable fat. Control hamburger was skillet-fried without any added oil. Total lipids were extracted and analyzed for fatty acid composition and cholesterol content. Changes in fatty acid composition of residual fat on the meat after cooking reflected those of the oils used for cooking. Cholesterol was significantly lower in all oil-cooked hamburger than in the control. In conclusion, cooking ground beef in any of the three vegetable oils will extract cholesterol, and the lipid remaining after a boiling water rinse will contain fatty acids characteristic of the cooking oil.