It has been reported that oil thermally processed with wheat gluten (gluten oil) exhibited safe weight-loss promoting effects in animal experiments. However, as the oil has a high color index, and its chemical properties and smell differ from those of fresh oil, it is uncertain if the oil will find market acceptance. In order to resolve the issue, frying oil was heated with soybean protein under reduced pressure (soybean protein oil), resulting in a product with an appearance, chemical properties and smell comparable to those of fresh oil. This improved oil was mixed (7 wt%) with powdered AIN93G no fat, defined standard diet and fed to 10-week-old Wistar rats ad libitum. The experimental rats grew normally, ingesting the same amount as that of the control rats; however, there was a negative correlation between body weight increases and fecal weight increases. After the 12-week feeding period, all the rats were sacrificed to obtain blood and organs. In the experimental group, liver weight, retroperitoneal fat tissue weight and serum triacylglycerol (TG) levels decreased significantly. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and histological analysis supported the safety of the improved oil. In conclusion, it was found that soybean protein oil inhibited body weight increases without any adverse effects in animal experiments. The oil holds promise as a novel dieting oil that steadily decreases body weight at an appropriate rate.Key words: soybean protein, weight-loss promoting, fecal weight, serum triacylglycerol level, retroperitoneal fat tissueCorrespondence to: Nagao Totani, Department of Nutritional Physiology, Faculty of Nutrition, Kobe-Gakuin University, 518 Arise, Ikawadani-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe, 651-2180 JAPAN E-mail: totani@nutr.kobegakuin.ac.jp Accepted September 19, 2009 (received for review May 30, 2009 One liter of fresh frying oil (Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan) was heated at 180 and 5 Torr for 10 h in a 2-L four-neck round-bottom flask under stirring with 1wt% soybean protein. Oil heated with protein was filtered over filter paper under reduced pressure (soybean protein oil) and employed for an animal experiment.
Oil AnalysesPeroxide value (POV), carbonyl value (COV), acid value (AV), iodine value (IV) and Lovibond color were measured according to the Japan Oil Chemists' Society's Standard Methods for the Analysis of Fats, Oils, and Related Materials. The content of polar compounds (PC) was analyzed by a PC Tester, 3M, Saint-Ouen l'Aumone, France 3) . Triacyglycerol contents (TG) were determined by applying samples on Chromarods followed by development in a solvent mixture, hexane/diethyl ether/acetic acid, 50:10:1 v/v/v, and quantification with Iatroscan MK-6s, Iatron Laboratories, Inc., Tokyo, Japan. After esterification of oil with diazomethane for possible free fatty acids and then with sodium methoxide for triacylglycerol, oil was analyzed by Shimadzu GC-2010 gas chromatograph equipped with 60-m SP TM -2340 capillary column of 0.25 mm bore, Supelco, St. Lo...