Groundnut oil
Close to half of its fat is monounsaturated, about a third is polyunsaturated and about a sixth is saturated. Reference data lists around 16 mg of vitamin E per 100 g.
What’s in the oil you cook with
Plain nutrition facts, oil by oil
Every cooking oil is a mix of different fats. Here is what that mix looks like for each of our five oils, using standard reference nutrition data.
Fats, in plain words
No oil is only one kind of fat. Each is a mix of three main types, in proportions set mostly by the seed it was pressed from.
- Saturated fat
- Fat molecules with no double bonds. Oils with a lot of saturated fat, such as coconut oil, tend to turn solid at cool room temperatures.
- Monounsaturated fat
- Fat molecules with one double bond. Oleic acid is the most familiar example in food.
- Polyunsaturated fat
- Fat molecules with two or more double bonds, including linoleic acid (an omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3). These fats are the most easily affected by heat and light.
Energy: all five oils provide about the same, roughly 9 kcal per gram or about 120 kcal per tablespoon.
How the five oils compare
Grams of each type of fat in 100 g of oil. The small unfilled end of each bar is made up of other natural components.
| Oil | Saturated (g) | Monounsaturated (g) | Polyunsaturated (g) | Vitamin E (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundnut | 16.9 | 46.2 | 32.0 | 15.7 |
| Sesame | 14.2 | 39.7 | 41.7 | 1.4 |
| Coconut | 82.5 | 6.3 | 1.7 | 0.1 |
| Mustard | 11.6 | 59.2 | 21.2 | TODO |
| Sunflower | 10.3 | 19.5 | 65.7 | 41.1 |
Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), reference values for each oil in general. Vitamin E is shown as alpha-tocopherol. Mustard oil has no vitamin E figure in this dataset. Sunflower figures are for standard sunflower oil, not high-oleic varieties. TODO verify all figures before launch.
Oil by oil
What the numbers above mean for each oil, in a sentence or two.
Sesame oil
Roughly equal parts monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, about 40 g of each per 100 g. Its low vitamin E figure reflects that sesame oil contains mostly gamma-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E not counted in that figure. Sesame seeds also contain natural compounds called lignans, such as sesamin and sesamol.
Coconut oil
About four-fifths saturated fat, much of it lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid. This high saturated fat content is why coconut oil turns solid in cool weather.
Mustard oil
Mostly monounsaturated fat. It is one of the few common cooking oils with a noticeable amount of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid: about 6 g per 100 g in reference data.
Sunflower oil
Mostly polyunsaturated fat, chiefly linoleic acid (an omega-6), and the highest vitamin E figure of the five in reference data. Its high polyunsaturated content is also why it is the most sensitive to heat and light.
About these figures
The numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, a standard public nutrition database. They describe each oil in general, and most oils sold commercially are refined.
The balance of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat is set mainly by the seed, so it is broadly similar whether an oil is refined or cold-pressed. Vitamin E and other natural compounds can be reduced during refining, so values for cold-pressed oil may differ from these reference figures.
TODO Replace with laboratory analysis of I Care oils when available.
Because every drop counts
Ask us about our five oils, pack sizes and current pricing. For dietary advice, please speak to your doctor or a dietitian.
Delivery: currently within Hyderabad only.