Autoxidation of Corn Oil under the Influence of Fluorescent Light

Abstract

Fluorescent light at an intensity of 100 footcandles accelerated the oxidation of corn oil at temperatures ranging from —17 to 60°C At —17°C a peroxide value of 200 was reached after 1690hours of exposure to 100 footcandles. The progress of oxidation was followed by measuring changes in peroxide value, weight gain or absorption of oxygen from the head space of closed containers. Head space oxygen levels were determined by gas chromatography and this method proved to be a satisfactory way of measuring the rate of oxidation. Agitation of illuminated oil samples in closed tubes resulted in increased oxidation rates when the volume of the oil was 5ml but not when it was 1ml. Storage of 1ml samples in open containers at 60°C resulted in higher peroxide levels than in the case of closed containers. This difference became greater when the samples were exposed to fluorescent light. Increasing the light intensity from 100 to 500 footcandles led to greatly accelerated oxidative deterioration of corn oil at 60°C.