Abstract
The selection of healthy fats for consumption is important. Linoleic acid (LA) (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (omega-3) are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids required for the maintenance of good health; however, LA derivatives such as arachidonic acid (AA) are associated with the onset of inflammatory diseases, and both are prone to oxidation and deterioration. This study compared the fatty acid contents, peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine value (p-AV), and free fatty acids (FFA) of the oyster nut oil with refined sunflower, nonrefined sunflower, and flaxseed oil stored at 27°C for 40 days. Flaxseed oil had significantly high ALA content (59.8%) compared to 0.1-0.5% for oyster nut and sunflower oil brands. The LA content was high in sunflower brands (50.3-52.8%) compared to the oyster nut (48%) and flaxseed oil 14.7%. Oleic acid was lower in oyster nut oil (8.6%) and flaxseed oil 15.8% compared to sunflower brands (35.7-38.2%). As a consequence, oyster nut and flaxseed recorded higher PV of 4.35-2.88 mEq O2/kg and FFA 0.26-0.47% compared to sunflower brands. The p-AV recorded small values which were not significantly different in all samples. Although oyster nut is widely consumed by pregnant and lactating women across Africa, its keeping quality in nonrefined form is low compared to flaxseed and sunflower oil as shown in this study. Hence, the fatty acid contents in oyster nuts should be consumed in other alternative forms such as flour and roasted kernels rather than its oil when in nonrefined form. This study will enable the consumption balance of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids and the keeping quality of oils which is key to health.
Highlights
Since the industrial revolution in the 1950s, fat consumption patterns have shifted towards commercial vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds high in saturated fatty acids and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids [1]
The omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid consumption ratio has shifted from 1 : 1 to 20 : 1 causing the increase of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and other inflammatory diseases [2, 3]. Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential to our body, but omega-6 derivatives such as eicosanoids (AA) metabolites cause the onset of inflammation while omega-3 derivatives such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) show inflammation suppression effects [3,4,5]
The high p-anisidine value (p-AV) is attributed to the excess amount of free fatty acids (FFA) after 20 days which is more prone to secondary oxidation. These results indicate the importance of performing both peroxide value (PV) and AV stability tests simultaneously since the p-AV indicates the true measure of formed hydroperoxides which are converted to secondary aldehyde products
Summary
Since the industrial revolution in the 1950s, fat consumption patterns have shifted towards commercial vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds high in saturated fatty acids and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids [1]. The omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid consumption ratio has shifted from 1 : 1 to 20 : 1 causing the increase of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and other inflammatory diseases [2, 3]. Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential to our body, but omega-6 derivatives such as eicosanoids (AA) metabolites cause the onset of inflammation while omega-3 derivatives such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) show inflammation suppression effects [3,4,5]. Balancing the consumption ratio of omega-6/omega-3 to 1 : 1 is said to be key for the maintenance of health.
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