Concentrations of metals in vegetable edible oils

Color Reversion of Refined Vegetable Oils: A Review

During the transport, storage, and consumption of edible vegetable oils, the color of some freshly refined oils is gradually darkened, which is known as the color reversion. The oil industry has been plagued by the issue for a long time because the dark color of the oil is related to its poor quality and low acceptability for consumers. Color reversion of refined vegetable oils is primarily related to the processing pigments, especially tocored, which is the oxidation product of γ-tocopherol. However, the underlying molecular action mechanism of tocored is not yet fully understood due to the complex transformations of tocored in oil systems. This paper presents a brief description of oil color, followed by an overview of research progress on the mechanism of color reversion. In particular, the effect of minor components (phospholipids and metal ions) on color reversion is highlighted in an attempt to explain the remaining mysteries of color reversion. Furthermore, the measures to restrain color reversion by quality control of the oilseeds, the adjustment of technical parameters of processing, and the storage conditions of refined oils are summarized to provide some references for the oil industry.

Catalyst and Elemental Analysis Involving Biodiesel from Various Feedstocks

The world is currently faced with the depletion of fossil fuel energy sources and their use is associated with environmental pollution. This has triggered the need to seek alternative energy sources that are renewable, sustainable and environmentally benign. Biodiesel, an alternative fuel of interest, is obtainable from biomass feedstocks. In existing biodiesel fuel, there are concerns that it is a contaminant due to its elemental contents, which over time also affect its quality. This study aimed to investigate the influence of a bifunctional catalyst on the conversion of free fatty acids and the elemental composition of biodiesel obtained from waste oils of sunflower and palm feedstocks. The synthesised catalyst was characterised using BET, XRD, FTIR and SEM while ICP-OES and Rancimat were used for elemental contents and oxidation in feedstocks and biodiesels. The effect of Cu, Zn and Fe metals on the stability of synthesised biodiesel was further studied. The catalyst showed characteristics of bifunctionality with improved textural properties necessary for the conversion of high free fatty acids feedstocks to biodiesel, despite increasing Ca content within the produced biodiesel. Sunflower biodiesel showed superior fuel quality, although palm biodiesel had more oxidation stability. An increase in the concentration of metals decreased the induction period, with Cu and Fe being more effective than Zn metal.

Synthesis and search for 3β,3'β-disteryl ethers after high-temperature treatment of sterol-rich samples

It has been proven that at increased temperature, sterols can undergo various chemical reactions e.g., oxidation, dehydrogenation, dehydration and polymerisation. The objectives of this study are to prove the existence of dimers and to quantitatively analyse the dimers (3β,3'β-disteryl ethers). Sterol-rich samples were heated at 180 °C, 200 °C and 220 °C for 1 to 5 h. Quantitative analyses of the 3β,3'β-disteryl ethers were conducted using liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Additionally, for the analyses, suitable standards were synthetized from native sterols. To identify the mechanism of 3β,3'β-disteryl ether formation at high temperatures, an attempt was made to use the proposed synthesis method. Additionally, due to the association of sterols and sterol derivatives with atherosclerosis, preliminary studies with synthetized 3β,3'β-disteryl ethers on endothelial cells were conducted.

Multielement analysis of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. essential oil using ICP-MS/MS

The concentrations of trace elements (Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb) in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. essential oil (ZBMEO) were determined by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry. The ZBMEO sample was directly analyzed after simple dilution with n-hexane. Aiming for a relatively high vapor pressure of n-hexane and its resultant loading on plasma, we used a narrow injector torch and optimized plasma radio frequency power and carrier gas flow to ensure stable operation of the plasma. An optional gas flow of 20% O₂ in Ar was added to the carrier gas to prevent the incomplete combustion of highly concentrated organic carbon in plasma and the deposition of carbon on the sampling and skimmer cone orifices. In tandem mass spectrometry mode, O₂ was added to the collision/reaction cell to eliminate the interferences. The limits of detection for Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were 2.26, 1.64, 2.02, 1.35, 1.76, and 0.97 ng L^-1, respectively. After determination of 23 ZBMEO samples from different regions in China, we found that the average concentration ranges of trace elements in the 23 ZBMEO samples were 0.72-6.02 ng g^-1, 0.09-2.87 ng g^-1, 0.21-5.84 ng g^-1, 0.16-2.15 ng g^-1, 0.13-0.92 ng g^-1, and 0.17-0.73 ng g^-1 for Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb, respectively. The trace elements in ZBMEO differed significantly when different extraction technologies were used. The study revealed that the contents of the toxic elements As, Cd, Hg, and Pb were extremely low, and hence they are unlikely to pose a health risk following ZBMEO ingestion. Graphical abstract The working mechanism of sample analysis by ICP-MS/MS.

Spectroscopic determination of metals in palm oils from different stages of the technological process

Magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, and lead in palm oils ( Elaeis guineensis ) at various stages of the refining process were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion. The mean concentrations of Mg, Ca, Cu, Fe, and Pb in the studied palm oils varied from 20.7 to 7090.1 μg kg(-1), from 193.9 to 8077.9 μg kg(-1), from 29.7 to 463.0 μg kg(-1), from 115.2 to 415.9 μg kg(-1), and from 1.7 to 16.0 μg kg(-1), respectively, which are below the Polish legal requirements. The comparable precisions for the proposed ICP-MS (RSD = 0.81-5.99%) and standard GFAAS (RSD = 1.18-5.26%) methods demonstrate the benefit of the ICP-MS method in the routine analysis of metal ions in palm oils. There are significant, positive correlations between Ca and Mg, between Ca and Cu, between Fe and Pb, between Cu and Fe, between Cu and Mg, and between Cu and Pb in palm oils determined by two analytical methods (r = 0.8798-0.9817, p < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used for discrimination of the quality of the analyzed palm oils based on main and trace metal contents determined by the proposed ICP-MS and the standard GFAAS methods. Two main groups were identified by HCA, whereas the classification and characterization of the studied palm oils within each of groups on the basis of metal ions amounts were obtained from PCA. The chemometric analyses demonstrated that crude palm oil had the highest level of the determined metals concentrations. Also, the analyzed metals in palm oils from different steps of the refining process were grouped using HCA to assess the effectiveness of technological processes for their removal.

Influence of heating time and metal ions on the amount of free fatty acids and formation rates of selected carbonyl compounds during the thermal oxidation of canola oil

Canola oil was heated continuously for 8 h at a typical frying temperature (180 °C) in the presence of various concentrations of the metal ions Fe(III), Cu(II), and Al(III) (9.2, 27.5, and 46.0 μg L(-1) of oil) to evaluate changes occurring in the amount of free fatty acids, expressed as acidity index, and in the formation rates of aldehydes. The aldehydes were collected and derivatized in silica cartridges functionalized with C18 and impregnated with an acid solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, after which they were eluted with acetonitrile and analyzed by LC-DAD-MS. Among the substances emitted, the following were identified and quantified: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, propanal, butanal, hexanal, (E)-2-heptenal, and octanal. During heating of the oil, the compounds presenting the highest mean formation rates were acrolein, hexanal, and acetaldehyde. In the study of the metal ions, the addition of ions to the samples generally led to a corresponding increase in the formation rates of the eight substances. The compounds showing the highest relative increases in formation rates were formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, and heptenal. In terms of catalytic effect, copper proved to be the most efficient in promoting increased formation rates, followed by iron and aluminum.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy Determination of Trace Element Composition of Argan Oil

A methodology based on inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) after microwave assisted acid digestion has been developed to determine the trace element content of Moroccan argan oil. Limit of detection values equal or lower than few mg/kg were obtained for all elements under study. To assure the accuracy of the whole procedure, recovery studies were carried out on argan oil samples spiked at different concentration levels from 10 to 200 µg/L. Quantitative average recovery values were obtained for all elements evaluated, demonstrating the suitability of this methodology for the determination of trace elements in argan oil samples. Aluminum, calcium, chromium, iron, potassium, lithium, magnesium, sodium, vanadium and zinc were quantitatively determined in Moroccan argan oils being found that their concentration is different of that found in other edible oils thus offering a way for authentication and for the evaluation of possible adulterations.

Implementation of Physicochemical and Sensory Analysis in Conjunction with Multivariate analysis towards Assessing Olive Oil Authentication/Adulteration

The authenticity of products labeled as olive oils, and in particular as virgin olive oils, stands for a very important issue both in terms of its health and commercial aspects. In view of the continuously increasing interest in virgin olive oil therapeutic properties, the traditional methods of characterization and physical and sensory analysis were further enriched with more advanced and sophisticated methods such as HPLC-MS, HPLC-GC/C/IRMS, RPLC-GC, DEPT, and CSIA among others. The results of both traditional and "novel" methods were treated both by means of classical multivariate analysis (cluster, principal component, correspondence, canonical, and discriminant) and artificial intelligence methods showing that nowadays the adulteration of virgin olive oil with seed oil is detectable at very low percentages, sometimes even at less than 1%. Furthermore, the detection of geographical origin of olive oil is equally feasible and much more accurate in countries like Italy and Spain where databases of physical/chemical properties exist. However, this geographical origin classification can also be accomplished in the absence of such databases provided that an adequate number of oil samples are used and the parameters studied have "discriminating power."

Spectrophotometric and adsorptive stripping square wave voltammetric determination of iron in olive oils, as complex with 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,2,3-trione 1,2-dioxime 3-thiosemicarbazone (DCDT)

Two methods for the determination of iron in olive oil by spectrophotometry and by adsorptive stripping square wave voltammetry (Ad-SSWV) have been developed. These two methods are based on the formation of a 5,5-dimethylcyclohexane-1,2,3-trione 1,2-dioxime 3-thiosemicarbazone (DCDT)-iron(II) complex in strongly acid media. In both, iron is extracted from the olive oil by using HCl. Spectrophotometric determination of iron with DCDT is based on the feature that the DCDT-Fe complex shows an absorbance maximum at 550 nm. A calibration graph has been constructed from 0 to 4000 ng mL(-)(1), and the detection limit was 115 ng mL(-)(1) (57 ng g(-)(1) in olive oil). On the other hand, the voltammetric determination of the metal is based on the appearance of a peak due to an adsorptive reductive process of the complex that it is observed when the Ad-SSWV technique is used. A calibration graph has been constructed from 0 to 30 ng mL(-)(1), and the detection limit was 0.55 ng mL(-)(1) (13.75 ng g(-)(1) in olive oil according to the proposed procedure).

Stabilization of soybean oil with heated quercetin and 5-caffeoylquinic acid in the presence of ferric ion

The effect of heated quercetin (400 mg/kg of oil) or 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA) and the presence of ferric ion (2.2 mg/kg of oil) on the stability of soya oil oxidized in an oxidative stability index (OSI) instrument was investigated. After heating the phenolic at 100 degrees C or 150 degrees C, the OSI values of treated oils were not significantly (p < 0.001) different, whereas, at 200 degrees C, the values decreased significantly with addition of quercetin, but not with 5-CQA. However, the antioxidative activity of quercetin remained significantly greater than that of 5-CQA. The antioxidative potency of quercetin was reduced significantly by addition of ferric palmitate (FP), but that of 5-CQA was not. Reaction between the ortho-dihydroxy groups of the quercetin and ferric ion may reduce the number of hydroxyls available to react with free radicals. Chelating action of 5-CQA might be provided by ortho-dihydroxy grouping of the quinic acid moiety.