Methods for Assessing Edible Oil Deteriorationand Future Development

Edible oils are widely used in the food industry and household and are important as sources of metabolic energy, fat soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Continuous expo-sure of edible oils to the air, light and heat causes the oils to undergo chemical changes. Secondary reaction products from hydroperoxides, such as aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, acids, and hydrocarbons result from oxidation with consequent off-flavor, decrease in storage stability and loss of nutritional value. The complexity of autoxydation and thermal oxidation is evident from Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, re-spectively. Methods available for assessment the oxidative deterioration of edible oils are listed in Table 1. Any proper assessment would of course require accuracy and suitability in eace case. Methods for determining peroxide, anisidine, carbonyl, acids, thiobarbituric acid, conjugated diene and foam height along with future development are presented and discussed in the following.