Olive Oil in Indian Kitchen: a Food for Thought, a Thought for Food

Background and Objective: Role of dietary fat in aetiopathogenesis of modern epidemics like CHD, Hypertension, DM and metabolic syndrome is undeniable.  PUFA and MUFA- rich edible oils are in recent trend, which are replacing the Indian indigenous oils in diet claiming to be more cardio-protective. This study was taken up to evaluate the physical and chemical changes in Olive oil of cooking grade (pomace) due to duration and mode of storage, UV ray exposure and different temperatures. Method: In this study the effect of different storage conditions, UV ray exposure and temperatures on the stability of olive oil in terms of color, odor, optical densities and generation of primary and secondary oxidation products were seen. Oxidation products were measured in terms of PV, AV, TOTOX and TBARS. Results: There was maximum alteration in physical properties on exposure to sunlight and higher temperatures. Alteration in PV was upto 700% under sunlight, 300% in room storage condition and 100% in dark storage form. Maximum change in PV was at 600c and again rose to higher levels at smoke point i.e. 2000c. The secondary oxidation product AV had very high baseline level as compared to standard oil samples and gradually decreased on storage but rose under sunlight exposure. Secondary oxidation product TBARS and TOTOX showed higher baseline level than other standard oils and rose to 100% and 200% in room temperature and sunlight exposure respectively and remained same at dark storage condition. Conclusion: Olive oil being PUFA-rich is prone for auto- oxidation and before including the same for Indian cooking there should be proper guidelines regarding duration and condition of storage and the mode of use in cooking. Abbreviations: PUFA- Polyunsaturated fatty acids, PV- Peroxide value, AV- Anisidine value, TBARS- Thiobarbituric acid reacting substances, TOTOX- Total oxidation value. Key words: PUFA-rich edible oil; Olive oil; Oxidation; Peroxide value; Anisidine value; TBARS; TO