Analysis of the effect of time and heat on free fatty acid levels in dura and tenera palm oil

Abstract

Palm oil is one of the most extensively used edible oils in the world due to its low cost relative to other edible oils. Free fatty acids in palm oil are a key feature linked to its quality and commercial value. Palm oils which have high free fatty acids content are poor in quality and suffer significant losses during the refining process and also affect consumer’s health. Free fatty acids in palm oil were determined by titration method with a preferable index showing the comparison among Zomi palm oil, Abepa palm oil and Agric palm oil with three different storage times after production. The free fatty acid contents by prolonged heating of the palm oils at a standard temperature were determined. Different time ranges in five trials of heating of the samples of palm oil were performed. High free fatty acid content was observed with longer storage and heating. The Zomi palm oil had the highest free acid content while the Agric palm oil had the lowest free fatty acid content after four minutes of heating.