Effectiveness of antioxidants in preventing oxidation of palm oil enriched with heme iron: A model for iron fortification in baked products

Bakery products such as biscuits, cookies, and pastries represent a good medium for iron fortification in food products, since they are consumed by a large proportion of the population at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia, mainly children. The drawback, however, is that iron fortification can promote oxidation. To assess the extent of this, palm oil with added heme iron and different antioxidants was used as a model for evaluating the oxidative stability of some bakery products, such as baked goods containing chocolate. The palm oil samples were heated at 220 degrees C for 10 min to mimic the conditions found during a typical baking processing. The selected antioxidants were a free radical scavenger (tocopherol extract (TE), 0 and 500 mg/kg), an oxygen scavenger (ascorbyl palmitate (AP), 0 and 500 mg/kg), and a chelating agent (citric acid (CA), 0 and 300 mg/kg). These antioxidants were combined using a factorial design and were compared to a control sample, which was not supplemented with antioxidants. Primary (peroxide value and lipid hydroperoxide content) and secondary oxidation parameters (p-anisidine value, p-AnV) were monitored over a period of 200 days in storage at room temperature. The combination of AP and CA was the most effective treatment in delaying the onset of oxidation. TE was not effective in preventing oxidation. The p-AnV did not increase during the storage period, indicating that this oxidation marker was not suitable for monitoring oxidation in this model. Practical applications: Commonly consumed foods, such as baked food products, are often enriched with iron in efforts to address iron deficiencies. The bioavailability of heme iron is higher than that of inorganic iron. However, as with inorganic iron, heme iron induces oxidation, which affects organoleptic properties and shelf life. Adding antioxidants to fortified products could prevent such undesired changes. In this study, effectiveness of antioxidants in preventing oxidation of iron-fortified palm oil was evaluated. These results are applicable in the baking industry and contribute to efforts to increase the nutritional value of different food products.