Studies of the quality parameters of blended oils and sensory evaluation of gram flour products

Blended oils have many uses when compared with single oils, due to presence of high Omega9 levels. They help in brain development and reduce the risk of heart diseases. This investigation of blended oils was chosen taking into consideration the regular use of coconut oil (CO), palm oil (PAO), peanut oil (PO), and groundnut oil (GO), and using these blends three popular South Indian snacks were prepared. The oil blending was in the proportion of 50:50 using four different oils. This study includes the physicochemical properties of blended oils such as their pH, colour, nutritional assessment, and changes in the parameters of mixed oils. Additionally, these oil mixes were utilized for preparing different types of gram flour snacks including potato fries, pakoda, and karasev. The shelf life of the snacks was studied, considering the changes in their synthetic and tangible attributes. The changes seen in the oil separated from the fried items were very close to that of the control. Tangible assessment of the prepared fritters showed that they were synthetically safe to eat for up to two weeks. Six oil blends (CO:PO, CO:PAO, CO:GO, PO:GO, PO:PAO, and GO:PAO) were prepared successfully. Among the blended oils, coconut oil with peanut oil showed the highest spread ability, while groundnut oil with palm oil showed the lowest spread ability. The coconut and groundnut oil blend showed the highest ratio (58.8%) of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids. Polyunsaturated linoleic acid (18:2; 24.3%), α-linoleic acid (18:2; 5%), oleic acid (18:1; 25%), capric acid (2.8%), lauric acid (1.8%), myristic acid (1.6%), palmitic acid (16:0; 14.5%), and steric acid (18:0; 9.2%) were seen in the coconut and groundnut oil blend. The palm and peanut oil blend showed the least ratio (51.4%) for unsaturated and saturated oils, with oleic acid (21%), lauric acid (1.9%), and α-linoleic acid (2%). Among all the blended oils, coconut oil mixed with groundnut oil showed the highest level of acceptability for gram flour products. The content of free fatty acids was very high in the combination of palm and peanut oil. The three gram flour products prepared using blends of coconut oil and groundnut oil showed good appearance (8%), flavour of the product prepared with combinations of groundnut (refined) oil has high acceptability, good texture (8%), high acceptability (8%) in taste and overall acceptability of sensory evaluation. These blends in the future may develop good quality oils giving a high shelf life to food products.