Potential Health Implications of the Consumption of Thermally-Oxidized Cooking Oils – a Review

cluding vitamin A, vitamin E and carotenoids which protect cells and tissues from being damaged by free radicals.Cooking oils are either consumed fresh or thermally oxidized [Oboh et al., 2014], but mostly thermally oxidized.Thermal oxidation occurs when the fresh form of cooking oils is heated at high temperatures during various food preparations to increase palatability [Oboh et al., 2014].Thermal oxidation is a usual domestic practice in Africa [Oboh et al., 2014; Falade & Oboh, 2015] to improve organoleptic properties of food [Warner, 2004].This practice is not limited to various homes; it is also a regular practice in restaurants and commercial food industry where deep-fat frying and baking occur at very high temperatures.In the commercial food industry, reuse of cooking oils over a period of time is common in order to maximize profi t.During cooking, various chemical reactions occur including thermal oxidation, due to oil exposure to high temperatures in the presence of air and moisture.Consequently, cooking oil disintegrates and generates volatile compounds; different monomers and polymers [Andrikopoulos et al., 2002].Some of the major factors that infl uence the value of cooking oil in the course of food preparations include temperature, heating period, oil type, level of saturation, and the presence of antioxidant [Gupta, 2005].