Hydroperoxide as a Prooxidant in the Oxidative Stability of Soybean Oil

Fifteen milliliters of soybean oil having peroxide value (PV) of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 meq/kg oil in a 35 mL serum bottle was sealed air-tight with a Teflon rubber septum and aluminum cap and was stored in a forced-air oven at 50 °C. The oxidative stability of soybean oil was evaluated daily for six days by measuring the headspace oxygen content and volatile compounds in the headspace of a sample bottle by gas chromatography. As the initial PV of the oil increased from 0 to 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, the headspace oxygen decreased and the volatile compounds increased at p < 0.05. Hydroperoxide accelerated the oxidation of soybean oil. The correlation coefficient (R ²) between the headspace oxygen and the volatile compounds was 0.95. The increase of tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) from 0 to 50 ppm for the oil of PV 4 or 8 had a significant effect on the oxidative stability at p < 0.05. The increase from 50 to 100 ppm for the oil of PV 4 or 8 did not significantly increase the stability at p > 0.05. The oxidative stability of PV 8 meq/kg and 50 ppm TBHQ was better than the control with PV 0 and 0 ppm TBHQ at p < 0.05. TBHQ was an effective antioxidant to improve the oxidative stability of soybean oil.