Accumulation of 2‐tert‐Butyl‐1,4‐Benzoquinone in Frying Oil and Fried Food during Repeated Deep Fat Frying Processes

Abstract

Abstract2‐tert‐Butyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone (TBBQ), the main oxidation product of tert‐butyl‐hydroquinone (TBHQ) during frying, is cytotoxic and its residual levels in frying oils and foods are unknown. In this study, TBBQ residues have been evaluated during the preparation of french fries. Results showed that frying at 140 °C resulted in the highest TBBQ peak concentration (48.42 mg kg−1) compared with frying at 190 or 170 °C. This unexpected finding can be attributed to more extensive hydrolytic reaction when frying at the lower temperature, generating more peroxyl radicals. TBBQ concentrations proved to be independent of the oil type among various unsaturated oils. However, higher TBBQ levels were observed in saturated palm oil and crude soybean oil than in unsaturated oil or refined oil. Continuous frying leads to the accumulation of a large amount of TBBQ in fried food. After frying 1–5 batches, TBBQ levels in both the frying oil and fries were above 10 mg kg−1, exceeding its critical cytotoxic concentration (IC50 value of 10.71 mg kg−1 for RAW 246.7 cells in our previous study), warranting concern with respect to the safety of fried food. FTIR has been utilized as an effective tool for visually monitoring the degree of oxidation in the frying medium with respect to its hydrogen peroxide level, which contributes to the increased level of TBBQ derived from TBHQ therein.