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The economic interest for businesses to switch to Beyond Oil’s product lies in its ability to extend the lifespan of frying oil. This reduction in costs comes with the added benefits of maintaining the quality of the oil and the fried food over time.
In a narrative that could be mistaken for a family-friendly version of “Breaking Bad,” attorney Michael Pinchas Or and his son Yonatan have embarked on a mission to revolutionize the way we approach fried food. Their Israeli startup, Beyond Oil, is making waves in the fast-food industry with a groundbreaking filtering powder designed to restore used frying oil’s usability and, in turn, create a healthier and more sustainable approach to food preparation.
The product, a filtering powder added to used frying oil, aims to extend its usability for up to 60 days. This innovation addresses a common practice in many restaurants and food factories, where frying oil is reused multiple times to cut costs and streamline logistics. However, the health implications of this practice are often overlooked.
Traditional guidelines require daily filtration of the oil to remove food residue and debris from previous fryings, but there’s no explicit instruction to replace the oil unless it shows signs of burning or producing foam. Beyond Oil recognized that the current approach, replacing oil every three days on average, could be improved for both health and economic reasons.
During high-temperature frying, free fatty acids are released from the oil, leading to the development of harmful substances such as polar compounds, acrylamides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These substances have been linked to serious health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease, various cancers, and heart diseases. Considering that fried food typically absorbs 10-15% of the oil used, addressing the quality of the oil becomes crucial.
Beyond Oil’s powder aims to neutralize these harmful substances when added to used oil. According to Professor Nissim Garti from the Hebrew University, the product is a “serious game-changer for the junk food industry.” Based on an experiment conducted by the company over four days in an Israeli restaurant, the levels of polar materials and acrylamides in the used oil dropped to almost undetectable levels after treatment with Beyond Oil.
Michael Pinchas Or, the driving force behind Beyond Oil, has a personal connection to the project. Suffering from a severe case of gastroesophageal reflux disease Or faced significant health challenges for 30 years. Traditional medical interventions proved ineffective, prompting him to take matters into his own hands.
Shutting down his clothing factories and investing over 30 million shekels in the company, Or established a makeshift lab in his garage. The primary focus initially was on finding a solution for his reflux disease. However, the discovery of the filtering powder’s impact on used oil opened up new possibilities.
The economic interest for businesses to switch to Beyond Oil’s product lies in its ability to extend the lifespan of frying oil. This reduction in costs comes with the added benefits of maintaining the quality of the oil and the fried food over time. Moreover, there’s an environmental dimension, as the powder contributes to a decrease in oil consumption and disposal.
Beyond Oil, now traded on the Canadian stock exchange, has its patented product available in Israel through Fandango, a company providing collection and recycling services for frying oils to thousands of restaurants, event halls, and hotels. Yonatan Or, the CEO of Beyond Oil, emphasizes the triple-win situation created by their product: health, sustainability, and economic profitability.
Looking ahead, Beyond Oil has its sights set on addressing water contamination issues, particularly in impoverished areas with arsenic-contaminated wells. The same powder that revolutionized the approach to frying oil filtration holds the potential to contribute to solving water quality challenges globally.
In a world increasingly focused on health, sustainability, and profitability, Beyond Oil’s innovative solution may pave the way for a healthier and more environmentally conscious future in the food industry.