A Comparison On the Frying Stability of Some Edible Oils Commonly Used in India

Abstract

Deep-fat frying is a common cooking method of preparing dishes in India. The frying process was usually applied to meat, fish, potatoes, banana, cereal-based snacks etc. This type of cooking substantially changes the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory properties of oil, which affects its frying performance. This work was intended to evaluate the effect of deep frying on the physio-chemical characteristics of edible vegetable oils viz., sunflower, coconut and palmolein oil. The common characteristics were determined before the frying to evaluate the quality of these oils. The frying was applied to sliced potatoes for eight minutes in six batches, separately with each oil. The properties of oils were determined after each batch of frying. The results show that all the properties have significant variations during the frying process, exploring the possibilities of spontaneous deterioration of oils. A comparison of these properties helps to identify the best choice of oil to be used in frying activities and the safe number of frying of a specific food product.