The term brominated vegetable oil basically refers to a vegetable oil that contains Bromine. The bromine is added to this vegetable oil in order to increase the oil density. Many refer to it as a synthetic vegetable oil and is used by manufactures together with the natural vegetable oil in order to prevent the oil from floating at the top.

How to make brominated vegetable oil

To come with the brominated vegetable oil, vegetables are processed or squeezed together in order to produce the oil while the bromine is generated from industrial processes. Brine from the sea or salt wells is normally treated using chlorine in order to produce bromine. Thus it is a result of regular vegetable oil mixed with the chemical bromine.

What are the uses of brominated vegetable oil?

Brominated vegetable oils are used mainly in fizzy drinks and in citrus flavored soft drinks. This product is normally used by companies as a stabilizer. It is a dense product and hence helps the citrus flavors used in soft drinks stay suspended in the drink. The reason they are used or the reason why this is important is that citrus fruit flavors are quite oily. As a result, they are likely to float to the top of the drink. By using brominated vegetable oils, the citrus fruit flavors remain suspended in the drink and hence stabilizing it.

What are the concerns regarding brominated vegetable oil?

There are various concerns that have been raised in recent years regarding the health implications of brominated vegetable oil. When consumed over a long period of time, the brominated vegetable oils will build up in the body and have a toxic effect. This reason has made many prominent soft drinks companies to ease using this product due to the health concerns that have arisen.