Application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the analysis of edible fats and oils

The application of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the assessment of oil quality and stability and the determination of the degree and type (cis or trans) of unsaturation of fats and oils was investigated. FTIR spectroscopy was shown to provide a rapid means of monitoring changes in oils undergoing oxidation or subjected to thermal stress. Absorption bands associated with common primary and secondary oxidation products were identified by relating them to those of spectroscopically representative reference compounds, and a quantitative approach based on the use of oils spiked with these reference compounds as calibration standards was proposed. A sample-handling accessory based on a heated 25-mum transmission flow cell and heated input and output lines was developed to facilitate the rapid analysis of oils and premelted fats in their neat form. Using this system, an FTIR edible oil analysis package was developed to simultaneously analyze for trans content, cis content, iodine value (IV), and saponification number (SN) of neat fats and oils, using partial-least-squares (PLS) calibrations based on pure triglycerides. An automated transmission-based peak height method for isolated trans isomer determination using the characteristic trans absorption band at 967 cm -1 in the spectrum of a neat fat or oil, ratioed against the spectrum of a trans-free oil, was also developed. A subsequent validation study involving the analysis of more than 100 oil samples demonstrated concurrence between the trans data obtained by the PLS and peak height FTIR methods as well as between IV results obtained by FTIR analysis and gas chromatography. In addition, the internal consistency of the IV, cis, and trans FTIR predictions provided strong experimental evidence that the FTIR edible oil analysis package measures all three parameters accurately. A PLS-based IV/trans method was developed for a heated single-bounce horizontal attenuated total reflectance (SB-HATR) sample-handling accessory and shown to be similar in accuracy and reproducibility to the transmission methods developed. The research carried out demonstrates that the degree of unsaturation (IV) and type (cis or trans) of unsaturation of fats and oils can be quantified reproducibly and accurately by FTIR spectroscopy and that the chemical changes taking place as an oil undergoes oxidation can be monitored effectively. These results indicate that with appropriate integration of instrumentation, software, and sample-handling accessories, FTIR spectroscopy has the potential to become an important analytical tool in the fats and oils industry.