Abstract
Objectives: The study aimed at assessing the oxidative stability of the commercial Argan oil compared with those of high culinary use in Morocco, namely olive, rapeseed and sunflower oils. Methods/Analysis: The oils were subjected to two parallel accelerated oxidation tests, Swift and the oven test at 65 °C in air during 10 weeks. The evolution of oxidation throughout this period was followed periodically by simultaneously measuring the Peroxide Value (PV), the Refractive Index (RI) and absorption at 232 and 270 nm. Findings: Swift test showed that Argan oil was the most stable with a period of more than 32 hours to reach a peroxide value of 100 meqO2 /kg at 100°C. The storage at 60°C also revealed that Argan oil was more stable than the other oils. These results showed that the oxidative degradation depended on the initial chemical composition of oils, especially the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. Improvement: The high stability of Argan oil was due to its particular fatty acid composition and its richness in tocopherols and phospholipids that act as antioxidants. The stability of Argan oil may also be enhanced by the Maillard reaction products resulting from the almonds roasting during the extraction. Keywords: Accelerated Oxidation, Argan Oil, Oxidative Stability, Phospholipids
Highlights
Vegetable oils play an important role in the human diet
The Acid Value (AV) and the Peroxide Value (PV) were determinate according to IUPAC 2.20114 and IUPAC 2.50115 respectively
The PV obtained for the four oils remained acceptable and conform to the quality criteria set by the food standards[19]
Summary
Vegetable oils play an important role in the human diet. They are a source of energy, fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Exposure to high temperatures during cooking in the presence of oxygen, leads to a series of reactions such as thermal oxidation, isomerisation, polymerization and hydrolysis of unsaturated fatty acids[1,2,3] The derivatives of these reactions are responsible for losses in nutritional characteristics of the oils, and for formation of toxic substances[4]. Linolenic acid (n = 3) is more susceptible to the oxidation than linoleic (n = 2) and oleic acids (n = 1)[8] Antioxidants, such as tocopherols, polyphenols and phospholipids, increase the stability of vegetable oils by limiting the action of free radicals on the polyunsaturated fatty acids. The content of antioxidants varies depending on various factors such as the extraction mode, the refining processes and the storage conditions[9,10]
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