Ideas for preserving olive oil infusions needed

[Guest guest]

OK, now I'm concerned. I just made a lot of different infused oils -

SJW, plantain, calendula, etc., the biggest in terms of gallonage I've

ever made. I used extra virgin olive oil, like I always do. Now people

are telling me that the olive oil may 'go bad', 'get sticky', 'smell

off' (take your pick) if I keep it a few years.

 

Usually, I've made smaller quantities in the past, and I guess they

never had a chance to 'go bad', since they were used up in a year or

two. This year I got ambitious and made lots so I would have a good

stash, and now I'm afraid I wasted $$ and time.

 

Often folks talk about Vitamin E being a preservative for oil. Is this

true, does it really work? If so, how many I.U.s do I have to add per

#/liter for efficacy.

 

I don't have the room to refrigerate these oils, so I really need a

solution. Hope somebody can help.

 

PS in the future, if I get so ambitious, folks have said to use

sunflower oil, it has a long shelf life. Guess I will :-)

 

PPS I want to add lavender and other EOs to some of the oils, and if

you have any advice about them helping to preserve the oil, please let

me know.

 

Anya

[Guest guest]

Hi Anya,

 

You can add rosemary extract (ROE) to extend the shelf life of your infused

oils. It is a potent antioxidant and helps to prevent the oils from going

rancid. Use at .5 - 1%. So far roe and the mixed tocopherols are what to

use. If you want to use vitamin e, I would use 1%. But you need to make

sure it is the low alpha mixed variety. It is very different than the

d-alpha tocopherols.

 

As far as eo's preserving the oil. I have never heard of it. What

" preserves " the oil is reducing the risk of oxidation which is what causes

the oil to go bad.

 

hth & happy crafting!

Margaret

Natural Indulgences LLC

 

 

> " rastapoodle " <mccoy

>

>

> Ideas for preserving olive oil infusions needed

>Mon, 26 Aug 2002 16:03:41 -0000

>

>OK, now I'm concerned. I just made a lot of different infused oils -

>SJW, plantain, calendula, etc., the biggest in terms of gallonage I've

>ever made. I used extra virgin olive oil, like I always do. Now people

>are telling me that the olive oil may 'go bad', 'get sticky', 'smell

>off' (take your pick) if I keep it a few years.

>

>Usually, I've made smaller quantities in the past, and I guess they

>never had a chance to 'go bad', since they were used up in a year or

>two. This year I got ambitious and made lots so I would have a good

>stash, and now I'm afraid I wasted $$ and time.

>

>Often folks talk about Vitamin E being a preservative for oil. Is this

>true, does it really work? If so, how many I.U.s do I have to add per

>#/liter for efficacy.

>

>I don't have the room to refrigerate these oils, so I really need a

>solution. Hope somebody can help.

>

>PS in the future, if I get so ambitious, folks have said to use

>sunflower oil, it has a long shelf life. Guess I will :-)

>

>PPS I want to add lavender and other EOs to some of the oils, and if

>you have any advice about them helping to preserve the oil, please let

>me know.

>

>Anya

>

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I don't know if this helps ... but, I add fractionated coconut oil to all

massage blends that I make at a 10% ratio. Fractionated coconut oil is said

to extend the shelf life of other oils. What I don't know is how its

addition might impact your future uses of the infused oil. It's definitely a

benefit to any massage blend. Antioxidants are usually added at a small

percentage ... 1%. I don't usually think of EOs as a preservation aid.

 

Sounds like you got the info about sunflower from a soap maker ... I don't

mean to offend anyone; but, reference info for soap makers often says use

sunflower oil as a less expensive alternative to olive oil; that it contains

vitamin E so naturally resists going rancid. However, if a person continues

to research, you will find that shelf life of sunflower oil is still 3-6

months (depending on whether oil is kept cool/unopened). Shelf life for

olive oil is 9-12 months and will be longer if kept cool/unopened. It would

definately help if you can re-bottle the gallon into smaller bottles ... you

at least are able to limit the bottle opening on the quantities that you

will keep for a longer period of time.

 

BTW ... last year I finally broke down and bought a refrigerator for oils

and hydrosols. Unfortunately, in the summertime my DH wants me to leave some

space to cool the watermelons that he buys by the truckload ... LOL!

 

HTH ...

Linda Wallen

ljwallen

 

 

-

" rastapoodle " <mccoy

 

 

> OK, now I'm concerned. I just made a lot of different infused oils -

> SJW, plantain, calendula, etc., the biggest in terms of gallonage I've

> ever made. I used extra virgin olive oil, like I always do. Now people

> are telling me that the olive oil may 'go bad', 'get sticky', 'smell

> off' (take your pick) if I keep it a few years.

>

> Usually, I've made smaller quantities in the past, and I guess they

> never had a chance to 'go bad', since they were used up in a year or

> two. This year I got ambitious and made lots so I would have a good

> stash, and now I'm afraid I wasted $$ and time.

>

> Often folks talk about Vitamin E being a preservative for oil. Is this

> true, does it really work? If so, how many I.U.s do I have to add per

> #/liter for efficacy.

>

> I don't have the room to refrigerate these oils, so I really need a

> solution. Hope somebody can help.

>

> PS in the future, if I get so ambitious, folks have said to use

> sunflower oil, it has a long shelf life. Guess I will :-)

>

> PPS I want to add lavender and other EOs to some of the oils, and if

> you have any advice about them helping to preserve the oil, please let

> me know.

>

> Anya

[Guest guest]

Hi Anya :-)

 

The other gals gave some great antioxidant ideas .. and NO, essential

oils will NOT help preserve the fixed oils! In fact when I make

essential oil blends and add a fixed oil as a cutting agent, I only use

Jojoba these days because I have had EO blends that I have made and

added fixed oils to eventually go rancid on me over time, and they were

higher in EO concentration (50% sometimes) than your gallons of infused

oils will be .. so I'd not go that route just for preservation purposes.

I'd go with the antioxidants and storing your gallons in a cool dark

place ... OH and for the record, I have found olive oil to last a LONG

time if kept in the proper conditions :-)

 

Good luck, and if you're willing to part with any of those infused oils

you made mondo batches of (even a wee little tiny bit please, let me

know! I know you grow fabulous plants and I'd LOVE to get my hands on

some infused oils from them!!!!

 

*Smile*

Chris

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

 

rastapoodle [mccoy]

Monday, August 26, 2002 10:04 AM

 

Ideas for preserving olive oil infusions

needed

 

OK, now I'm concerned. I just made a lot of different infused oils -

SJW, plantain, calendula, etc., the biggest in terms of gallonage I've

ever made. I used extra virgin olive oil, like I always do. Now people

are telling me that the olive oil may 'go bad', 'get sticky', 'smell

off' (take your pick) if I keep it a few years.

 

Usually, I've made smaller quantities in the past, and I guess they

never had a chance to 'go bad', since they were used up in a year or

two. This year I got ambitious and made lots so I would have a good

stash, and now I'm afraid I wasted $$ and time.

 

Often folks talk about Vitamin E being a preservative for oil. Is this

true, does it really work? If so, how many I.U.s do I have to add per

#/liter for efficacy.

 

I don't have the room to refrigerate these oils, so I really need a

solution. Hope somebody can help.

 

PS in the future, if I get so ambitious, folks have said to use

sunflower oil, it has a long shelf life. Guess I will :-)

 

PPS I want to add lavender and other EOs to some of the oils, and if

you have any advice about them helping to preserve the oil, please let

me know.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Someone wrote me, but didn't want to be quoted, so I'll paraphrase, re:

using olive oil vs. sunflower, for example.:

 

--

Sunflower oils that lasts a long time may have already had

antioxidants/preservatives added because that practice is common, yet not

listed on the label.

 

Olive oil is the most abused of all oils, and in Europe they are looking at

millions of dollars of fraud involving adding everything, including URINE.

Eewww.

 

Olive oil has all kinds of refining processes done to it, including adding

antioxidants without advertising it.

 

Fractionated coconut oil or fractionated jojoba oil would be the oil of

choice.

 

www.oilsofaloha.com lists Vit c and vit e on their bottles of kuiku oil,

truth in advertising, but the oil stinks, so perhaps and EO would be needed

to overcome the smell.

 

Supposedly, most grapefruit seed extract has synthetic antioxidants in it,

and it has not been tested on the skin, so maybe avoid?

 

Ditto with rosemary extract -- it's an excellent anti oxidant, but effects

on the skin

are not known.

--

anybody have any comments on these statements -- as I wrote they are not my

observances, just some passed on to me when I posed the question about

shelf life of fixed oils.

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