Comparison of Oxidative Stability among Edible Oils under Continuous Frying Conditions

The stability of camellia oil (saturated fatty acid: monounsaturated fatty acid: polyunsaturated fatty acid = 1:7:1) after frying potatoes was compared with palm oil (saturated fatty acid: monounsaturated fatty acid: polyunsaturated fatty acid = 4:4:1) and peanut oil (saturated fatty acid: monounsaturated fatty acid: polyunsaturated fatty acid = 2:4:4). Oil samples were evaluated for acid value, iodine value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, total oxidation value, tocopherols content, and fatty acids composition. There was the least change in fatty acid composition in camellia oil among the three edible oils. The alpha-tocopherol was more vulnerable to heat degradation than gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol, and alpha-tocopherol was completely degraded before the whole frying process was done for palm and peanut oils. The oxidative stabilities of the three edible oils were in the order of camellia oil > palm oil > peanut oil. The oxidative stability was mainly determined by the calculated oxidizability value related to fatty acid composition, and when calculated oxidizability values were similar, the tocopherol contents of edible oils would be a key factor in affecting their oxidative stabilities.