Refined Corn Oil (Maize Oil) is the oil extracted from the Germ of Corn (Maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes Refined Corn Oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarine. Refined Corn Oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils. One bushel of corn contains 1.55 pounds of corn oil (2.8% by weight).

The issue to use corn oil as well as other vegetable oils for cooking is not just the Oxidized Cholesterol they create (which significantly increases the risk for coronary heart disease), but also their very high amount of Omega–6 fatty acid, which throws Omega–6 and Omega–3 ratios in the body out of balance. It is reported to have an Omega–6 to Omega–3 ratio of 49:1, a very far cry from the ideal 1:1 ratio.

Uses of Corn Oil: 

Apart from serving as a less–than–ideal cooking oil, It also has several industrial uses, including as an addition to “Soap”, “Salve”, “Paint”, “Ink”, “Textiles”, “Erasers”, “Rustproofing”, “Nitroglycerin” and “Insecticides”.

Refined Corn Oil is also a feedstock used for Biodiesel and sometimes functions as a carrier for drug molecules in pharmaceutical industry products. It is considered for hair care and contains 54 percent of Omega–6 and 28 percent of Omega–9 fats, which lock water inside your hair and make it stronger and better protected against dryness.

The promoted benefits include moisturizing the hair follicles. It nourishes the scalp, helping prevent hair dryness and loss, promoting growth, and helping prevent external damage.

The various uses of Refined Corn Oil around the house, include the following:

1. Make your sink shine: Rub oil on your sink using a soft cloth.

2. Clean the wood surface of the stuck paper: Rub the area where the paper is stuck with the oil. Let stand until the paper is soft enough for peeling away.

3. Soften the baseball mitt: Rub the palm of the mitt with corn oil, and fold the mitt around the ball. Then use a rubber band to secure it. Place the mitt overnight between your mattresses.

4. Clean up spots from wood furniture: Put corn oil on a soft cloth, dip it into cigarette or cigar ashes, and wipe the area where the white spot or watermark is until it’s gone.

5. Coat your snow shovel: Rubbing the oil on your shovel will prevent snow from sticking to it.

Health Benefits of Refined Corn Oil:

Corn oil has monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids that help to lower the chances of heart problems. It lowers the cholesterol level as well as LDL cholesterol.

1. Lowers cholesterol

Corn oil is able to reduce blood cholesterol levels. It has phytosterols in meaningful amounts. The sterol compounds are derived from plant sources and resemble the structure of cholesterol. Plant sterols are able to lower the absorption of cholesterol. The study shows that the addition of corn oil to the diet helps to reduce cholesterol levels.

2. Healthy heart

Corn oil is beneficial for maintaining heart health. It has a high content of linoleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The regular diet should have a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as corn oil. This helps to lower the LDL cholesterol level.

3. Maintains blood pressure

Foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids help to reduce high blood pressure in hypertension patients. It lowers the blood pressure level by 10%.

4. Skin health 

Corn oil could be used as a massage oil for the skin. This promotes skin functioning due to the presence of Vitamin E and Linoleic acid. It is used as a base oil for salves, lip balms, night oils, and creams. It penetrates the skin quickly as it contains 59% of Linoleic acid.

5. Hair Health 

Corn oil could be used as a hot oil treatment about 1 or 2 times a week. This helps to treat undernourished and dry hair. It smoothens and conditions the hair.

 6. Useful for pests

Corn oil could be used as skin care for animals as well. Massage corn oil to the dog’s hair to make the coat look healthier. It could be fed to horses for the treatment of dull coat conditions. It provides more energy and healthy fats. The diet should be rich in omega-3 fatty acids for balancing omega-6 from corn oil.

Traditional uses:

1. It lowers the chances of heart problems.
2. It moisturizes hair follicles and nourishes the scalp which helps to prevent hair loss and dryness, prevents external damage, and promotes hair growth.
3. It is used as a hot oil massage, carrier oil for aromatherapy, rosemary, and tea tree oil.
4. Apply the mixture of two drops of tea tree oil and a tablespoon of corn oil on the hair for about 15 minutes and rinse it with a shampoo.
5. Mix a tablespoon of oil with two drops of tea tree oil, and apply it to your
6. It lowers cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis.

Precautions

1. As corn oil has a high content of Linoleic acid but a small amount of Omega–3, the study shows that a diet rich in omega–6 with low content of omega–3 leads to systemic inflammation in the body. This could lead to inflammatory conditions such as acne and arthritis.
2. Corn oil has negative effects on liver health. It increases the chances of liver cancer if consumed excessively.
3. Postmenopausal women should not use it as it could be harmful to them.
4. The high consumption of Corn oil increases the chances of breast cancer in women.

How to Eat

1. It is used as an ingredient in margarine.
2. It is used for deep frying recipes such as French fries.
3. This oil could be used for dressing salads and mayonnaise preparation.
4. It is also used for baking purposes.

Other Facts

1. It is used as an ingredient in insecticides.
2. It helps to prevent corrosion on iron surfaces.
3. It is used for the production of nitroglycerin and is also used in biodiesel technology.

It also contains more sugar than other vegetables. Also, it is compared with cereal grains like wheat and rice, has a lower calorie count. It is filled with Flavonoids and Lutein, which together help maintain healthy mucus membranes, skin, and vision. It also has Vitamin A, Thiamin (B1), and Vitamin B6 source. It contains a lot of water and is rich in Dietary Fiber. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical composition and can be grouped generally by their solubility, viscosity, and fermentability, which affect how fibers are processed in the body. Dietary fiber has two main components: soluble fiber and insoluble fiber, which are components of plant foods, such as legumes, whole grains, cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts, or seeds. A diet high in regular fiber consumption is generally associated with supporting health and lowering the risk of several diseases.

1. Store at an ambient temperature and kept in a dry place.
2. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight.
3. The product in the carton that has been opened should be used as soon as possible.