Oil Analysis by Fast DSC

Chromatographic and Thermal Characteristics, and Hydrolytic and Oxidative Stability of Commercial Pomegranate Seed Oil

The current investigations were aimed at the determination of the hydrolytic and oxidative stability of commercial pomegranate seed oils provided by four different producers, and to assess the oils' primary quality parameters. During storage, many changes occur in oils that can significantly affect their quality. The oils were tested for acid and peroxide values, fatty acid profile, and their distribution between the sn-1,3 and sn-2 positions of triacylglycerols. The oxidative stability was also determined, and melting curves were plotted for the oils. The analyzed oils were stored for one month in a dark place at refrigerator temperature. Based on the obtained results, it was found that the acid values for most oils did not exceed the permissible level determined by the Codex Alimentarius. However, in all oils, the peroxide value exceeded the permissible level set by the standard EN ISO 3960:2017-03 and the Codex Alimentarius after the one-month storage period. The examined pomegranate seed oils were found to be valuable sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially punicic acid, which was the most abundant fatty acid present in these oils. In all analyzed oils, linoleic acid predominated in the sn-2 position of the triacylglycerols. Pomegranate seed oils did not exhibit good oxidative stability, as the oxidation induction times for all tested oils were very short. The storage period significantly affected the content of the primary oxidation products and oxidative stability of the oils.

Application of Chromatographic and Thermal Methods to Study Fatty Acids Composition and Positional Distribution, Oxidation Kinetic Parameters and Melting Profile as Important Factors Characterizing Amaranth and Quinoa Oils

Amaranth and quinoa are classed as pseudocereals that do not belong to the grass family, meaning they are not technically a grain. Both of them are seeds with tremendous nutritional value; compared to other cereals, they contain much more fat. The aim of the study was to present the parameters characterizing thermal properties of amaranth and quinoa oils, such as: oxidation induction time, oxidation kinetic parameters, and melting profile. In isolated oils, the peroxide value, oxidative stability by the Rancimat test (in 120 °C) and the pressure differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) method (at 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 °C), fatty acids composition, and their distribution between the triacylglycerol positions were determined. The kinetic parameters of the oxidation process (activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and reaction rate constants) were calculated using the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall method and the Arrhenius equation. To measure the melting profile, the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) method was used. Both types of seeds are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. Induction time of oxidation suggests that amaranth oil may have better resistance to oxidation than quinoa oil. The melting characteristics of the oils show the presence of low-melting triacylglycerol fractions, mainly containing unsaturated fatty acids, which means that a small amount of energy is required to melt the fats.

Pyrolysis of Aesculus chinensis Bunge Seed with Fe2O3/NiO as nanocatalysts for the production of bio-oil material

The rapid thermal cracking technology of biomass can convert biomass into bio-oil and is beneficial for industrial applications. Agricultural and forestry wastes are important parts of China's energy, and their high-grade utilization is useful to solve the problem of energy shortages and environmental pollution. To the best of our knowledge, the impact of nanocatalysts on converting biowastes for bio-oil has not been studied. Consequently, we examined the production of bio-oil by pyrolysis of Aesculus chinensis Bunge Seed (ACBS) using nanocatalysts (Fe₂O₃ and NiO catalysts) for the first time. The pyrolysis products of ACBS include 1-hydroxy-2-propanone (3.97%), acetic acid (5.42%), and furfural (0.66%). These chemical components can be recovered for use as chemical feedstock in the form of bio-oil, thus indicating the potential of ACBS as a feedstock to be converted by pyrolysis to produce value-added bio-oil. The Fe₂O₃ and NiO catalysts enhanced the pyrolysis process, which accelerated the precipitation of gaseous products. The pyrolysis rates of the samples gradually increased at DTG_max, effectively promoting the catalytic cracking of ACBS, which is beneficial to the development and utilization of ACBS to produce high valorization products. Combining ACBS and nanocatalysts can change the development direction of high valorization agricultural and forestry wastes in the future.

First Study on the Oxidative Stability and Elemental Analysis of Babassu (Attalea speciosa) Edible Oil Produced in Brazil Using a Domestic Extraction Machine

Interest in edible oil extraction processes is growing interest because the final nutritional quality of the extracted oil depends on the procedure used to obtain ir. In this context, a domestic cold oil press machine is a valuable tool that avoids the use of chemicals during oil extraction, in an environmentally friendly way. Although babassu (Attalea speciosa) oil is economically important in several Brazilian regions due to its nutritional and healthy features, few studies have been conducted on the chemical composition and stability of babassu oils extracted by cold pressing. Babassu oil's major constituents are saturated fatty acids (~86.42%), with the most prevalent fatty acids being lauric (~47.40%), myristic (15.64%), and oleic (~11.28%) acids, respectively, within the recommended range by Codex Alimentarius, presenting atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes favorable for human consumption. Peroxide value, Rancimat, and TGA/DSC results indicated that babassu oil is stable to oxidation. Also, macro- (Na, K, Ca, Mg, P) and micro-elements (Fe, Mn, Cr, Se, Al, and Zn) of babassu oil were determined, revealing levels below the tolerable upper intake level (ULs) for adults. These findings demonstrated that cold-press extraction using a domestic machine yielded a high-quality oil that kept oil chemical composition stable to oxidation with natural antioxidants.

Seed-Roasting Process Affects Oxidative Stability of Cold-Pressed Oils

The oxidative stability of vegetable oils mainly depends on their fatty acid composition, their degree of unsaturation, and the presence of compounds with antioxidant activity. This paper reports on the effects of the process of roasting oil seeds, prior to pressing them, on the basic characteristics of the oils produced and their oxidative stability. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique was used to study the process of oxidation of the oil samples in an oxygen-flow cell. Chromatographic analysis revealed that roasting the seeds increased the levels of chlorophyll and β-carotene in all the cold-pressed oils. Similar results were observed for the oil's antioxidant activity, measured by the scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method. Our results also indicated that roasting seeds prior to pressing them for oil had a positive effect on the oil's stability, as determined by the DSC method. This manifested in both the extension of oxidation induction time and the final oxidation time.