An evaluation of the level of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in virgin palm oil

Abstract

Palm oil contains important dietary nutrients and it is important to humans since it contains antioxidants, which are mediators of various diseases especially of the cardiovascular system. Virgin palm oil is pressed from the oil palm fruit and stored in vessels prior to usage. During storage, virgin palm oil undergoes various oxidation processes making it rancid. This reduces its shelf life and causes it to change in colour and composition giving off an offensive odour. It is possible for small and large-scale oil palm plantation owners to preserve the virgin palm oil by some natural means or artificially with the use of synthetic phenolic antioxidants. Synthetic phenolic antioxidants are added to food for preservation and to prolong its shelf life. In this study, virgin palm oil was analysed for synthetic phenolic antioxidants by Reverse Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with a Ultraviolet /Visible (UV-Vis) detector. A mixture of solvents, hexane, and acetonitrile was used for the extraction method. Virgin palm oil was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to determine the concentration of Butylatedhydroxytoluene (BHT), Butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA), Propyl Gallate (PG) and 2-ethylhexyl 4- methoxycinnamate (EEMC). PG was detected below the detection of the method. A new extraction method was proposed to validate the experimental procedure.