Effect of various packaging materials on storage stability of refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil

Abstract

Refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil (RBD palm oil) was packaged in lacquered metal cans (LMC), green glass bottles (GGB), amber glass bottles (AGB), clear glass bottles (CGB), clear plastic bottles (CPB) and sealed polyethylene film (POLET), and stored in direct sunlight (40 ± 1°C) or in darkness (27 ± 1°C). Measurements of free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value and anisidine value, at 14‐day intervals for a period of 98 days, were used to assess the stability of the oil towards hydrolytic and oxidative deterioration. Total oxidation values for packaged oils stored in direct sunlight showed that LMC gave the greatest protection against oxidative deterioration, followed by GGB and AGB. POLET offered the least protection to the oil against oxidative deterioration, while CPB and CGB proved superior to POLET but inferior to GGB and AGB. For storage in the dark, LMC, AGB and GGB gave the greatest protection to RBD palm oil against oxidative deterioration, with no significant statistical differences between them, while CPB, CGB and POLET followed in that order, with significant differences between their respective abilities to protect the oil against oxidative deterioration. Oils packaged in CPB gave the highest FFA levels (statistically significant). The investigations clearly indicated that LMC is superior to all other tested packaging materials in offering maximum protection to RBD palm oil against hydrolytic and oxidative deterioration. Amber and green glass bottles could serve as viable alternatives to LMC, while CGB and CPB could be tolerated as suitable packaging systems for RBD palm oil. However, the study also clearly showed that POLET is unsatisfactory for use as packaging material for RBD palm oil.