An oxidative stability study was undertaken to to asses Oat Lipid e against two other oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids – Sunflower Oil and Wheatgerm Oil.
Oxidative Stability Study
Oils, fats and waxes degrade or go rancid over time due to oxidation, leading to an unpleasant odour and taste. Depending on chemical structure, oils do have a natural resistance to going rancid – their antioxidant content, although how they have been processed and stored also plays a part in slowing down the oxidization process. It is generally expected that oils containing high levels of unsaturated fats are less oxidatively stable than those with lower levels, however our Oat Lipid e, despite having a high unsaturated fatty acid content, has shown opposite characteristics and so this naturally became an area that we wanted to research in more depth.
Stability was assessed using a RapidOxy device and based on Anton Paar’s patented measuring principle of ASTM D7545 – a well established method for testing oxidative stability.
Oxidative Stability Study Results
The results of the Oxidative Stability Study show that Oat Lipid e is an inherently stable oil, more so than both Sunflower Oil and Wheatgerm Oil.
It is likely that the antioxidants, including caffeic and ferulic acid, tocotrienols and tocopherols contained with Oat Lipid e have a significant effect on the inherent stability of Oat lipid e, making it far more stable than its unsaturated lipid profile would indicate.
Stabilizing Effect of Oat Lipid E on Less Stable Oils
In a further experiment, using the same methodology, 3% Oat Lipid e was added top the Sunflower Oil. this resulted in a 10% improvement in the time taken for the Sunflower Oil to reach the 20% cut point. This shows that Oat lipid e confers stability to less stable fats and oils.
