How to obtain some Olean (Olestra based stuff) in Canada?

September 29, 2015 1:40 PM

I remember the downsides of olestra, of course, so entirely aside from that side. I am getting in to molecular gastronomy, and would like to experiment with it, as a way of exploring. I gather it is still sold and manufactured in some countries? But I have not been able to find any retailers online at all, Ebay, extensive googling etc. is turning up nothing.

I gather Olean is the brand name for the cooking oil substitute that contains olestra. So basically it has added vitamins and maybe flavors or whatever to make it ready to use as a food additive.

posted by Nish ton to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

Well, for one, it's a banned additive in Canada, so it's not legal to offer products containing it for sale to Canadians.

You're best bet would be to either use a cross-border shopping service, or simply go to the States yourself.

I don't think the pure product has ever been offered for retail sale anywhere, only in things like chips.
posted by bonehead at 2:16 PM on September 29, 2015

I don't think the pure product has ever been offered for retail sale anywhere, only in things like chips.

I remember when Olestra hit the market in the US, you could in fact buy a bottle of Olean branded cooking oil. But I recall that being very brief, and haven't seen it since. This was in Chicago.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:39 AM on September 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've beaten a few of the bushes for "olean", "sucrose polyester" and some of the more specific forms like "sucrose octoaoleate", but no luck on a current supplier who will sell to even a research lab. I think you'd have the best chance contacting Proctor and Gamble (the inventors of it) directly.
posted by bonehead at 2:03 PM on September 30, 2015

Response by poster: Yeah, it's pretty funny. I bet it is still made and sold somewhere in the world like Thailand or something, but the language barrier stops me. I wonder how I could find out the names. I can try contacting proctor and gamble but they probably won't even answer me.

The only practical option at this point I can tell is that the sucrose polyester is probably still made for industrial use on at least a smallish scale, as it was apparently also used as an additive in paints and stuff. Might have junk in it, though.

A research chemical supplier is also something I tried to find, but couldn't in the end. Maybe with a very time consuming hunt...
posted by Nish ton at 1:01 PM on October 2, 2015

Response by poster: A very impractical option is to ask a chemist to synthesize some for me. I can find lots of journal articles on how to do it at least.
posted by Nish ton at 1:02 PM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Not completely crazy, as it turns out. There a a ton of custom synthesis and small batch firms out there, particularly in China right now. Looking on Alibaba turns up a whole bunch. You would have to do some legwork, but this isn't at all impossible, especially if you already have the synthetic route to hand. I have no idea what prices would be like though.
posted by bonehead at 1:19 PM on October 2, 2015

Response by poster: Yeah, prices. Hm.
posted by Nish ton at 1:30 PM on October 2, 2015