science

Perilla oil

Perilla oil is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Perilla oil rather than just read about it. In short: Perilla oil (Korean: 들기름; RR: deulgireum) is an edible vegetable oil derived from perilla seeds. Having a distinct nutty aroma and taste, the oil pressed from the toasted perilla seeds is used as a flavor enhancer, condiment, and cooking oil in Korean cuisine.

Key takeaways

Perilla oil belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Perilla oil to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Perilla oil from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Perilla oil (Korean: 들기름; RR: deulgireum) is an edible vegetable oil derived from perilla seeds. Having a distinct nutty aroma and taste, the oil pressed from the toasted perilla seeds is used as a flavor enhancer, condiment, and cooking oil in Korean cuisine. The oil pressed from untoasted perilla seeds is used for both culinary and non-culinary purposes.

Production

Perilla oil is obtained by pressing the seeds of perilla, which contains 38-45% lipids. In South Korea, cold pressed perilla oil from untoasted seeds is also available for culinary use.

Nutrition Perilla oil is considered a rich source of fatty acids, and contains both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids in perilla oil are mainly palmitic (4–9%) and stearic (1–4%). Monounsaturated fatty acids in perilla oil are oleic (13–18%), while polyunsaturated fatty acids in perilla oil are linoleic (14–20%) and linolenic acids (54–4%). In comparison to other plant oils, perilla oil exhibits one of the highest proportion of omega-3 fatty acids, which is between 54 and 64%. The omega-6 fatty acid component is usually around 14%.

Use

Culinary

In Korean cuisine, perilla oil and sesame oil are the two chief oils used in flavoring, sauces, and dips. Usually made from toasted perilla seeds, the oil is used as a flavor enhancer, condiment, and cooking oil. Either sesame or perilla oil can be used for flavoring namul (vegetable side dishes) and other sides, pan-frying jeon (pan-fried dishes), coating gim (laver) before roasting it, and forming the flavor base for dipping sauce. Specifically, perilla oil is more common in the southern part of Korea as perilla is cultivated more easily in the warmer areas. Nowadays, perilla oil is used in Korean-style Western food as well. A Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul serves nutty vanilla ice cream which has perilla oil as its "secret ingredient."

Industrial Perilla oil made from untoasted seeds can be used for non-culinary purposes, including in paint, varnish, printing ink and linoleum. As a drying oil similar to tung oil or linseed oil, perilla oil has been used for paints, varnishes, linoleum, printing ink, lacquers, and for protective waterproof coatings on cloth. Perilla oil can also be used for fuel. It is used along with synthetic resins in the production of varnishes. It dries faster than linseed oil and on drying forms a film that is harder and yellows more than that formed by linseed oil. The paint and varnish industry accounts for the largest usage. Perilla oil is also important in the manufacture of printing inks and linoleum, and in more ancient times was a critical component in creating durable earthen floors. In Japan, perilla oil was important for fueling oil lamps until early 16th century, before it was overtaken by rapeseed oil. The oilseed contains drying oil elements and was imported in bulk as a substitute for linseed oil into the United States from Japan, until the supply was interrupted by war. In Korea, perilla oil pressed from the untoasted seeds were used to fuel lamps and to oil floor papers.

Use of press cake The press cake remaining after pressing perilla oil can be used as natural fertilizer or animal feed.

Safety Perilla oil is categorized as Hazard Grade III of Class 4 Hazardous Substances, by Presidential Order 33005 of Act On The Safety Control Of Hazardous Substances of the Republic of Korea. It is mainly due to its high iodine value (over 130), thus having a small probability of spontaneous combustion.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Perilla oil

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Perilla oil claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Perilla oil before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Perilla oil ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Perilla oil

In research: Perilla oil appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Perilla oil in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Perilla oil is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Condiments, Cooking oils, Korean condiments, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Perilla oil outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Perilla oil in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Perilla oil means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Perilla oil out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Perilla oil in simple terms?

Why does Perilla oil matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Perilla oil?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Perilla oil.