SummaryThe present study was aimed at improving the quality of fried sunflower oil. Synthetic (Magnesol XL), natural (diatomaceous earth) and hull ashes of rice, wheat and barley (agriculture plant wastes) were used to adsorb the oxidation products of fried sunflower oil. The mineral pattern (Si, Mg, Ca, Fe, Al, Mn and Cu) of the aforementioned substances were determined. The physico-chemical properties [refractive index, viscosity, colour, smoke point, acid value, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, conjugated dienes and trienes, polar content, polymer content and oxidised fatty acids] of non-fried, fried and fried-treated sunflower oil were determined. The frying process was carried out at 180°C ± 5°C for 20 h, 4 h heating cycle per day for five consecutive days. The fried sunflower oil was treated with synthetic, natural and agricultural hull ashes at 105°C for 15 min. The results indicate that Magnesol XL, diatomaceous earth, rice hull ash, wheat hull ash and barley hull ash contained Si + Mg + Mn, Si + Mn + Ca, Si + Mn, Si +Mn and Mn + Si as the basic metals, respectively. Frying of sunflower oil led to significant increase in refractive index, viscosity, colour, smoke point, acid value, peroxide value, TBA value, conjugated dienes and trienes, polar content, polymer content, and oxidised fatty acids and decrease in iodine value. Treatments of fried sunflower oil with the aforementioned substances greatly improved the quality of fried oil. Under the present experimental conditions all adsorbing substances performed similarly in removing the fried sunflower oil oxidation products.
