How to Understand Cottonseed Oil Nutrition

Cotton plants belong to the Gossypium genus, although Gossypium hirsutum is responsible for the majority of the world's cotton production. The seeds of the plant contain an oil that is useful as a cooking oil. Cottonseed oil is also common in mayonnaise, salad dressing and snack foods. This oil is highly stable and has a high smoke point, meaning you can heat it to a high temperature before it produces smoke.

Things You'll Need

• Nutrition label for cottonseed oil

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Instructions

• 1

  Study the effects of Gossypol. It's a natural insecticide in cottonseed oil and is an anti-fertility agent in humans. The primary challenge in using cottonseed oil for human consumption is reducing the amount of gossypol it contains. Cotton growers accomplish this by using genetically modified cotton with a low gossypol content. They may further reduce the amount of gossypol in cottonseed oil with an extensive refining process.

• 2

  Establish the nutritional content of cottonseed oil. NutritionData.com provides such information. The serving size is 1 tbsp. of cottonseed oil that weighs about 14 g. This data applies to pure cottonseed oil with no other ingredients.

• 3

  Inspect the calorie content of cottonseed oil. It contains 119 calories per serving, which is 6 percent of the Daily Value for calories. The Daily Value assumes a diet of 2,000 calories per day. Cottonseed oil has no carbohydrates or protein, and all of the calories come from fat.

• 4

  Observe the fat content of cottonseed oil. One serving has 13.5g of fat, including 3.5g of saturated fat and 9.4g of unsaturated fat. This provides 21 percent of the Daily Value for fat, including 17 percent for saturated fat. The fat content includes 7g of Omega-6 fatty acids and 27mg of Omega-3 fatty acids. Cottonseed oil has no trans fat or cholesterol.

• 5

  Examine the vitamin and mineral content of cottonseed oil. It contains 4.8mg of vitamin E per serving, which is 24 percent of the Daily Value. It also has 3.3 micrograms, or 4 percent, of the Daily Value for vitamin K. Cottonseed oil has no other vitamins or minerals.