A comparative study was carried out to identify the oxidative stability of sesame oils originated from three countries: Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen. Sesame oils were oxidized under Rancimat test conditions. Reaction rate constant (k), activation energy (Ea), activation enthalpy (ΔH
++), activation entropy (ΔS
++), and Gibbs free energy of activation (ΔG
++) were calculated according to both Arrhenius model and Eyring equation of activated complex approach. Quality parameters of the sesame oils were evaluated with respect to phenolic (TP) and flavonoid (TF) contents, free radical‐scavenging activity (FRSA), and peroxide value (PV). Fourier transformed infrared‐attenuated total reflectance (FTIR‐ATR) was also used to assess the functional groups of the oils. Depending on the fundamental thermodynamic parameters (ΔH
++ > 0, ΔG
++ > 0, and ΔS
++ < 0), the nature of the oxidation reaction in the oils proves that it is an endothermic, nonspontaneous, and endergonic process. The predicted shelf‐life of the oils ranged from 38 to 132 days at ambient conditions.
Practical applications
Lipid oxidation is one of the major concerns influencing the product quality in oil industry. If the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of lipid oxidation are understood properly, the formulation of food products might be adjusted to favor the quality of the fat present in a food system and reduce the appearance of undesirable degradation products.