Determination of oxidation stability of soybean oil with the oxidative stability instrument: Operation parameter effects

Operation parameters of the oil stability index instrument were evaluated to determine their effect on the oxidative stability of commercial soybean oil. A factorial design was developed to evaluate the following three parameters, each at two levels, sample weight (2.5 or 5.0 g), conductivity tube temperature (20 or 30°C), and air flow rate (12 or 20 L/h), for a total of eight observations. Significance testing indicated that sample size and air flow rate affected oil oxidative stability independently ( P <0.001), but not in combination. The conductivity tube temperature did not affect the oxidation stability index.