Flavor evaluation of natural soybean oils of high and low linolenate content

Three varieties of soybeans, Crest, Grant, and Hawkeye, were processed in the laboratory to obtain edible oils containing 10.4, 9.4, and 5.2% linolenate, respectively. Taste panel evaluations were significantly in favor of low‐linolenate soybean oils. Both high‐ and low‐linolenate oils gave the typical off‐flavors of aged soybean oil. Flavor results indicate that the linolenate content of soybean oil will probably have to be reduced below 5% to achieve a significant quality improvement in commercially processed oils. Soybean oils of excellent quality can be prepared by laboratory processing procedures.