Abstract

The present work explores the possibility of improving the frying stability of peanut oil, by decreasing its level of unsaturation using tropical oil. Blends comprising of 35.92-46.63% oleic acid, 17.74-25.41% linoleic acid, and less than 0.01% linolenic acid were studied. The fatty acid compositions were attained by blending peanut oil (PNO) and palm kernel oil (PKO) at 90:10; 80:20; 70:30; and 60:40 ratios respectively. The blends were used to fry sliced yam and subsequently subjected to chemical analyses while the fried yam slices were subjected to sensory evaluation. Pure peanut oil was also used to fry sliced yam, and served as control. Findings from this study indicate that the blends recorded lower values of total polar compounds (7.90-14.60%) than the control (15.40%); and lower values of FFA (0.90-1.45% vs. 1.09% for the control) with the exception of the 60:40 blend which recorded FFA value of 1.45%. In terms of acceptability of taste, flavour and overall acceptability, yam slices fried in the control oil were generally preferred over those fried in blends; however among the blends, slices fried in 90:10 and 80:20 blends recorded the highest scores for overall acceptability and were preferred by the panelists more than those fried in the 70:30 and 60:40 blends. In terms of acceptability of appearance no significant difference was obtained for slices fried in the different blends. Findings from this work further suggest that peanut oil for frying purpose can be substituted with PNO/PKO blends of up to 80:20 ratio.

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