The dehydration of foods in edible oil in vacuo

Abstract

Summary. Arachis oil, which was used as the medium for dehydration, showed considerable resistance to autoxidation when heated alone under the conditions employed in the drying of foodstuffs. the processing of cabbage, lean horse meat and herring had the effect of increasing the stability of the drying medium. the oil which adheres to the surface of the products was even more stabilized. Continuous use of the oil did not result in a rise in its content of free fatty acids. Neither the drying medium nor the adherent oil became rancid after storage for many weeks, although susceptibility to autoxidation was increased. the synthetic antioxidants BHT and sesamol, added to the arachis oil before heating, acted synergistically with the natural antioxidants of the foodstuffs, and gave rise to a striking improvement in the stability of the oil. the net protein utilization of herring dried in arachis oil in vacuo (73) was as high as that of freeze‐dried herring (70).