Effects of Tocopherol Homologue Additions to Purified Sunflower Oil on Fry Life and Fried Food Stability

Authors: Warner, Kathleen; Moser, Jill

Submitted to: Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2007
Publication Date: 5/14/2007
Citation: Warner, K.A., Moser, J.K. 2007. Effects of Tocopherol Homologue Additions to Purified Sunflower Oil on Fry Life and Fried Food Stability. Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 00:000-000.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vegetable oils that can potentially serve as alternatives to hydrogenated oils for frying often times do not have the required oxidative stability. Since research on factors influencing oil stability has shown that fatty acid composition is not the only determinant of stability, then altering other oil components such as tocopherols in the oils may help to enhance oxidative stability. In order to determine optimum tocopherol compositions, a basic study was conducted on sunflower oil stripped of all minor oil constituents leaving only the triacylglycerols. Oils were purified using a short-path thin film evaporator unit resulting in 99.9% removal of tocopherols. Pure tocopherols were added to the stripped oil in various ratios to 800 ppm of total tocopherols in each sample. Oils were used for frying at 180 deg C. Frying stability was measured by total polar compounds and oxidative stability of the chips were measured by hexanal and a trained, experienced analytical sensory panel. Results showed that gamma tocopherol was the best inhibitor of both hexanal formation in the chips and polar compounds in the frying oil. Delta tocopherol was less effective than gamma tocopherol. Alpha tocopherol inhibited significantly less oil deterioration than either gamma or delta tocopherols.