A new kind of cooking oil from Israel, known as roshan, is a blend that could offer a cheaper alternative to traditional oil, according to Mashable.
The product, which is made from grains and barley and contains about a third of the calories of regular cooking oil.
According to Mashables, roshans are not a new product, but that’s because Israel’s Health Ministry has made a number of scientific studies showing that they have potential as an alternative to regular cooking oils.
The Health Ministry says the product is safe and nutritious, but does not yet have a price tag.
Mashables first reported on roshani in August of this year.
The Israeli company claims roshanos oil is 50 percent better than conventional cooking oil and has shown to be a viable alternative to other high-calorie products.MASHABLE asked Health Ministry spokesman Dan Shapiro about the company’s claims.
Shapiro told Mashable that roshanas new product is not a substitute for traditional cooking oils and does not currently have a name.
Mishables investigation also revealed that roshians oil is a product of Israel’s Advanced Technology Research and Development Organization, or ATROD, a private research group that has been active in the field of biofuels for more than two decades.
According the agency’s website, ATRODE was established in 1983, the same year the Israeli government created the first Biofuel Production and Marketing Organization.
At the time, ATRD was headed by Israeli scientist Shlomo Bialik, who became known for developing advanced biofuel technologies for his country, according the company.
Mushables investigation revealed that Bialick founded ATRod in 1996 with the goal of developing biofueled technologies for Israel’s energy sector.
He also served as president of the Israel Institute of Science and Technology, the country’s top science institute.ATROD’s biofuel research has been cited by other countries such as the United Kingdom, China, and the United States, according Mashables report.
Mashiables investigation found that a 2013 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called biofuenergies “highly promising” for Israel, but noted that the technology has “significant challenges and unknowns” that must be solved before it can be commercially deployed.
The agency noted that Israel has not made a decision on whether to approve or reject the project.
The United States is also not currently pursuing biofuens technology, according a recent report from Mashables.