Palm olein quality parameter changes during industrial production of potato chips

New legislation introduced in South Africa for the quality of used frying oils has resulted in the need to identify quicker, more suitable methods that correlate well with results from two official methods, namely, total polymerized glycerides and total polar components. Oil and product samples were taken at regular intervals during a commercial frying process in palm olein. Oil samples were analyzed for a number of different quality parameters viz. tocopherol content, dielectric constant, total polymerized glycerides, total polar components, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) content, anisidine value, Rancimat induction period, and free fatty acid content, and the results statistically compared to results from official methods. Oil was expressed from product stored under accelerated conditions and analyzed for the same quality parameters. Fried product was also subjected to sensory evaluation to measure the degree of oil deterioration and sensory preference. The frying trial was successfully executed with refined, bleached, and deodorized palm olein and the frying oil used to a free fatty acid (FFA) content of 0.41%. Oil and product sampling were done at different FFA value levels. Frying oil quality was verified at the onset of the trial and at regular intervals. The frying oil total polar component value increased to approximately half of the limit set by the official regulation. This point was reached mainly due to the high starting value of the fresh oil. Frying oil total polymerized glycerides increased from below 1% to 2.1%. This increase is negligible when compared to the general trend for polyunsaturated oils. The alternative laboratory methods used for predicting oil quality can be rated as follows: total tocopherol content >dielectric constant >FFA >TBHQ content >anisidine value >Rancimat induction period. The first three methods correlated well with total polar component levels and it is recommended that the dielectric constant and FFA measurements be applied for monitoring oil condition during frying. It is possible that viscosity changes could be used for the monitoring of polyunsaturated frying oils. Evaluation of oil extracted from product revealed a negligible effect of non‐oil components on oil quality parameters. The same was observed when product was stored at −10°C and at 37°C.