Monitoring of butter and animal fat oxidation stability by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)

Oxidation of fat is one of the basic reactions which causes the depletion of butter and animal fat quality as well as other products containing them. Since the most of reaction products of fat oxidation are harmful for consumers' health, inadequate and scarce monitoring of edible fats and fat containing products quality, presents increased health risk as well as financial loss for the producers. In fat oxidation stability estimation, standard chemical methods were used (iodine number, acid number, peroxide number, anisidine number etc.), which require time and chemical usage. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis presents the simple and efficient way for butter and animal fats oxidation stability estimation. Laboratory investigations were performed to monitor oxidation stability of butter and animal fat in fresh state, as well as in spent phase, used in frying process. The results obtained were compared to the results of standard chemical analysis, and they confirmed the reproducibility and applicability of differential scanning calorimetry in oxidation stability of butter and animal fats monitoring.