Monitoring the oxidation of edible oils by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Edible fats and oils in their neat form are ideal candidates for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, in either the attenuated total reflectance or the transmission mode. FTIR spectroscopy provides a simple and rapid means of following complex changes that take place as lipids oxidize. Safflower and cottonseed oils were oxidized under various conditions, and their spectral changes were recorded and interpreted. The critical absorption bands associated with common oxidation end products were identified by relating them to those of spectroscopically representative reference compounds. The power and utilty of FTIR spectroscopy to follow oxidative changes was demonstrated through the use of “real-time oxidation plots.” A quantitative approach is proposed in which standards are used that are spectroscopically representative of oxidative end products and by which the oxidative state of an oil can be defined in terms of percent hydroperoxides, percent alcohols and total carbonyl content. By using either relative absorption as a basis or calibrating on representative standards, FTIR analysis provides a rapid means of evaluating the oxidative state of an oil or of monitoring changes in oils undergoing thermal stress.