Flavor and oxidative stability of hydrogenated and unhydrogenated soybean oils. Efficacy of plastic packaging

Abstract

Soybean oils were packaged in polyvinylchloride, acrylonitrile, clear glass and amber glass bottles and their flavor stabilities were evaluated by a trained sensory panel. Hydrogenated and unhyrdogenated oils showed similar patterns of flavor deterioration regardless of container or type of aging. In accelerated light-exposure tests with air in the headspace, oils in plastic bottles showed flavor and oxidative stability equivalent to the same oils in clear glass bottles. Packaging in the amber glass bottle provided, as expected, significantly improved oil stability during light-exposure tests. In accelerated storage tests at 60 C with air in the headspace, sensory evaluation and peroxide determination showed no significant differences in oils packaged in clear glass and PVC, but sometimes oils received lower scores in glass compared with those in acrylonitrile bottles. During long-term storage, oils in plastic bottles with nitrogen in the headspace had flavor and oxidative stabilities equal to oils in glass bottles with nitrogen. These investigations indicate that packaging soybean oils in polyvinylchloride or acrylonitrile bottles is a viable alternative to packaging in clear glass bottles.