Evaluation of Peroxide Value and Acid Number of Edible Oils Consumed in the Sandwich and Fast Food Shops of Qom, Iran in 2016

Background & Aims of the Study: The quality of the edible oils is made with chemical compositions and percentage of  the degree of unsaturation fatty acids. The peroxide value (PV) always measures the extent of primary oxidation (rancidification) of oils. Oils Rancidity can produce potentially toxic compounds associated with health effects such as heart and neurological disorders. In order to investigate initial oxidative rancidity of the oils, PV will be measured. The aim of this paper is determination of  PV and the acid number taking place in oils during frying process and its relationship with demographic characteristics and environmental conditions. Materials &Methods: In this study, the statistical populations are sandwich and fast food shops of Qom city, Iran. Samples were conducted, using cluster sampling. For data collection, a questionnaire and chemical tests were used. Samples were transferred in the laboratory under cool conditions for PV and acid number (AN) examination. A hundred fifty different sample of oil were collected. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS. The ANOVA, T-test and Pearson coefficient were used for data analysis. Results: From the points of view of PV, 80% of oils were consumable and 20% were  not. The lowest and the highest number of PV were 0.6 to 16.5, respectively. The minimum and the maximum number of AN were 0.028 to 0.2, respectively. With the assumption of equal variances (p>0.05), a significant relationship between the increase after the age of the chefs and the lack of obtaining a health card was shown. The small correlation between the temperature of the oils and PV, r(150)=-0.21, p=0.009 is shown. There wasn’t seen any relation between the type of oils with PV and AN. Discussion: Antioxidants, oil saturation and the reduction of  temperature can reduce the production of peroxide; thus,  PV was reduced. Due to the results, temperature increasing lead to increases the peroxide content. In this case, 3.3% of the edible oil samples were in rancidity conditions. Conclusion: This study has indicated that PV in almost sample was lower than the standard amount. However, removing the oil absorbed into the food leads to reducing the peroxide content and other hazardous compounds by fast-food consumers. This survey indicated that some cookers are not completely aware of government regulation and control procedures for PV and AN of frying oils.