Studies on phytosterol oxides. I: Effect of storage on the content in potato chips prepared in different vegetable oils

Potato chips fried in palm oil, sunflower oil, and high-oleic sunflower oil were studied for the content of different phytosterol oxides during 0 to 25 weeks of storage in the dark. Oxidation products of sitosterol (24α-ethyl-5-cholesten-3β-ol) and campesterol (24α-methyl-t-cholesten-3β-ol) were synthesized to help identify the phytosterol oxides. The oxides of phytosterols were analyzed by preparative thin-layer chromatography, solid-phase extraction, capillary column gas chromatography (GC), and GC-mass spectrometry. Epimers of 7-hydroxysitosterol and 7-hydroxycampesterol; 7-ketositosterol and 7-ketocampesterol; epimers of 5,6-epoxy-sitosterol and 5,6-epoxy-campesterol; 24α-ethylcholestane-3β,5,6β-triol (dihydroxysitosterol) and 24α-methylcholestane-3β,5,6β-triol (dihydroxycampesterol) were detected and quantitated in the samples of chips fried in different vegetable oils. Potato chips fried in palm oil had the lowest level of total sterol oxides, ranging from 5 to ca. 9 ppm in the lipids from time 0 to 25 wk of storage. The level of total sterol oxides in chip samples fried in sunflower oil ranged from 46 to 47 ppm, and the lipids in samples fried in high-oleic sunflower oil ranged from 35 to 58 ppm from 0 time to 25 wk of storage. During 25 wk of storage no considerable increase in sterol oxides was observed in the samples of chips fried in palm oil and sunflower oil. The chip samples fried in high-oleic sunflower oil had slightly higher levels of sterol oxides after 10 and 25 weeks of storage. In addition to the levels of individual sterol oxides, a new method for enrichment of phytosterol oxides from the unsaponifiables and full-scan mass spectra of various oxidation products of sitosterol and campesterol are reported in this paper. Part of the results were presented at the 86th Annual Meeting of the AOCS, May 7–11, 1995, San Antonio, TX.     

Stereospecific analysis of triacylglycerols from vegetable oils by two procedures—II: Normal and high-oleic sunflower oils

Triacylglycerol stereospecific analysis of normal (NOS) and high-oleic sunflower (HOS) oils was carried out by two procedures to study the influence of variety and growing conditions. Four cultural varieties, two NOS and two HOS, were grown in seven different places of Italy. Three of the four varieties were grown both in dry conditions and with irrigation. Concerning the triacylglycerol fatty acid compositions, the results showed no significant differences between irrigated and nonirrigated samples (P>0.05), between the two NOS, and between the two HOS varieties. Between NOS and HOS varieties, only stearic acid showed no significant differences (P>0.05). The fatty acid compositions of the sn-2 position of NOS and HOS samples showed different percentage abundances (P<0.01), especially for oleic and linoleic acids. Fatty acid distributions in the sn-1 and sn-3 positions indicated a certain asymmetry. The relationships between the percentage intrapositional content of each acid (one sn-position at a time) and its percentage content in the original triacylglycerol matrix were studied. A general regression model was used to verify if the content of each acid at the three stereospecific positions changed at the same rate as the content in the intact triacylglycerols. The interpositional compositions of all varieties of NOS and HOS oils showed analogous trends for each acid.     

Determination of the oxidative stability of vegetable oils by rancimat and conductivity and chemiluminescence measurements

The oxidative stability of five different oils was determined by Rancimat analysis with conductivity and chemiluminescence measurements for evaluation of the induction periods. Samples of oil, taken at intervals from the Rancimat apparatus, were used for chemiluminescence measurements. The chemiluminescence results were plotted vs. time, and the resulting curves were evaluated with a graphical tangential procedure in the same way as the curves of the Rancimat method (conductivity measurement). Induction periods of the oils assessed by Rancimat and chemiluminescence methods showed a significant linear correlation (r=0.9865). The temperature dependence of the induction periods evaluated by chemiluminescence and by conductivity was investigated with walnut oil. A marked temperature dependence was observed for both.     

Determination of mixtures in vegetable oils and milk fat by analysis of sterol fraction by gas chromatography

A rapid gas-chromatographic (GC) procedure was developed for the analysis of the total sterol fraction of vegetable oils, milk fat or mixtures, to detect possible admixtures of sunflower with olive oil and the addition of vegetable oils to milk fat. The method, which employs alkali-catalyzed transesterification with KOH/methanol, was compared with saponification procedures with and without transformation of sterols into silyl derivatives prior to analysis. Repeatability of the method was assessed, and the coefficient of variation was 6.0 and 8.0% for β-sitosterol in olive and sunflower oils, respectively. Recovery of β-sitosterol ranged from 92.6 to 95.8 for both oils. The GC method assayed in this work requires little analysis time and eliminates the need for saponification, extraction, and derivatization steps. It offers good repeatability and recovery and is thus well suited to routine use.     

Acidity of oryzanol and its contribution to free fatty acids value in vegetable oils

Model oil systems containing physically refined rice bran oil to which oryzanol was added were examined to determine the effects of oryzanol concentration on FFA values. When oryzanol was added to the model oils at a 0.5% level and FFA was determined, increases in FFA value were 0.28% as determined with phenolphthalein, 0.58% with thymolphthalein, and 0.07% with alkali blue 6B. Oils containing added oryzanol at 0.5–1.5% showed a proportionate increase in FFA values with an average increase of 0.413% per gram of oryzanol. A direct titration of purified oryzanol showed an acidity of 42.5% expressed as FFA. In spectroscopic studies, the phenolic group in the ferulic acid moiety of oryzanol was titrated by sodium hydroxide. Based on these data, indicator correction factors for oryzanol's acidity and a formula for calculating real FFA content of vegetable oils containing oryzanol were developed.