Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of Red and Refined Palm Oils Marketed in Yamoussoukro (Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

In order to define the nutritional quality of commercialized red and refined palm oils, palm oil samples conditioned or not with aluminum foils were placed in solar radiation for four weeks. Each week, the levels of peroxides, free and unsaturated fatty acids and then vitamins A and E were determined. From these analyzes, the proportions of peroxides and free fatty acids increased with solar exposure time of the oils. These rates ranged from 0.11 to 24.00 meq O 2 /Kg (peroxides) and from 1.11 to 17.14 KOH/g (free fatty acids). Also, iodine index levels of palm oils decreased during sun exposure “95.11 - 3.22 g I/100 g”. In addition, vitamin A and E losses from palm oil samples increased with exposure time. These losses ranged from 0% to 94.49% for vitamin A and from 0% to 83.42% for vitamin E from the day of purchase of oils in the fourth week of sun exposure. However, the deterioration of nutritional quality was greater with red and refined palm oil samples unprotected with aluminum foils than those protected.