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COOKING WITH OLIVE OIL
RESEARCH: As air frying technology gains popularity for its ability to produce crispy, flavorful food with less oil, the choice of frying oil becomes critical - not just for taste, but for health and oil stability. A recent peer-reviewed study published in European Food Research and Technology compared the performance of four commonly used oils - ghee, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and virgin olive oil - under both conventional and air frying conditions. The findings clearly demonstrate that virgin olive oil is the superior option, particularly when air frying is involved.
Although ghee is often cited for its heat resistance due to its high saturated fat content (65.5%), the study revealed significant oxidative degradation under frying conditions. During conventional heating, ghee reached a peroxide value of 45.23 meq active O₂/kg, the highest among all samples. When heated in an air fryer, ghee still showed substantial oxidation, with a peroxide value of 28.39 meq active O₂/kg. Polar compound formation - associated with oil spoilage and reduced nutritional quality - was also elevated. Additionally, ghee demonstrated the lowest β-carotene extraction capacity during frying, even when carrots were added.
“The maximum peroxide value reached after the processes in the air fryer was found to be 28.39 meq active O₂/kg oil for heating of ghee” (Baskaya-Sezer, 2025, p12)
Sunflower oil showed a high degree of degradation, owing to its very high linoleic acid content (52.74%), which is particularly vulnerable to oxidation. Under conventional frying, peroxide values rose to 11.15 meq O₂/kg, and significant color darkening and nutrient loss occurred. Even under air frying, its performance was marginal, with β-carotene levels lower than olive oil and sesame oil.
“Sunflower oil had the highest polar compound contents for the fresh and the treated (heated and fried) samples” (Baskaya-Sezer, 2025, p.17)
Sesame oil benefited from inherent antioxidants like sesamol, which helped suppress oxidation to some extent. It performed better than ghee and sunflower oil in peroxide and polar compound formation, but it failed to match the nutrient retention of virgin olive oil.
“The reason why the polar compound in sunflower oil is high may result from their unsaturated fatty acid compositions... the low polar compound content of the sesame oil group might be the unsaponifiable substances responsible for high stability, such as sesamol” (Baskaya-Sezer, 2025, p. 17)
Virgin olive oil showed exceptional resilience under both air and conventional frying, particularly:
“The highest amount of β-carotene was extracted in virgin olive oil in the air-fryer... peroxide values were significantly lower than in conventional frying” (Baskaya-Sezer, 2025, p. 12)
The study clearly indicates that while ghee, sunflower oil, and sesame oil each have some redeeming qualities, their weaknesses show under frying conditions - especially with oxidative instability and limited nutrient retention - make them less ideal for air frying. Virgin olive oil consistently outperformed the alternatives, making it the most balanced choice for consumers prioritising health, quality, and performance in modern cooking.
Baskaya-Sezer, D. (2025). Assessing the degree to which conventional and air-frying methods alter the quality of sesame, ghee, sunflower, and virgin olive oil in the presence or absence of food. European Food Research and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-025-04776-0
