Quality assessment of mustard oil in deep fat frying

Abstract

Now a days fried foods are very common everywhere around the world and it can be observed by the increasing number of fast food restaurants in the last few decades. Deep frying of foods at high temperature enhances the sensorial properties which include the unique fried flavor, golden brown colour and crispy texture. At the same time, so many chemical reactions like oxidation, polymerization, hydrolysis, etc., take place in the food system, which ultimately alters the physical and chemical properties of fat. Mustard oil is a vegetable oil which is widely being used in India for cooking purpose. The parameters like free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine value (p-AV), total oxidation (TOTOX value), iodine value (IV) and colour are studied in this experiment. The heating oil parameter has been taken in such a way, considering the frying practices done in the restaurants of North-East India. The oil sample was taken after every 5 hours of heating mustard oil in deep fat fryer. The 30 hours of heating (5h/day) degrades mustard oil to such an extent that it becomes unadvisable for human consumption. The study showed that there is ample change in the chemical composition and the hunter colour showed that the oil has lost its luster and has become dark red.