A Comparative Study on 3-MCPD and Glycidyl Esters Degradation During Frying of Potato Chips in Sunflower Oil and Palm Olein in the Presence of Antioxidants, Olive Extract and TBHQ

Abstract 2- and 3-monochloropropanediol esters (MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) are endogenous contaminants found in refined vegetable oils and in deep-fried foods and known for their potential adverse health effects. In this study the effects of synthetic and natural antioxidants, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and olive extract (OE), on the changes of 3-MCPDE and GE content in refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) palm olein (POL) and RBD sunflower oil (SFO) during deep fat frying of potato chips were studied. Both the frying bulk oil and the oil extracted from the fried potato chips were analysed for 3-MCPDE and GE content. Free fatty acid (FFA) content, p-anisidine values (p-AV), total polar compounds (TPC) content and oil colour values were also analyzed to explore the effect of TBHQ and OE on thermal degradation of RBD POL and RBD SFO during deep fat frying of food. Both OE and TBHQ were effective in reducing 3-MCPDE and GE levels in POL and SFO, assumingly by inhibiting the formation of free radical intermediates, and the order of effectiveness was OE > TBHQ. OE was also found to be more efficient than TBHQ in keeping other markers of thermal oil degradation, such as FFA and TPC content, as well as p-AV and oil colour values, under control.