Efeito da adição de óleo essencial de Origanum vulgar e Ocimum gratissimum L. no perfil lipídico da gordura de palma usada em fritura de batata tipo chips

The objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant effect of essential oregano and alfavaca oil on the fatty acid profile of palm oil, used in industrial potato chips processing, aiming to reduce the oxidative state of palm oil. Essential oregano oil was obtained from industrial residues and commercial essential oregano oil was also acquired. The antioxidant activity of Oregano’s essential oil was taken by DPPH method. The DPPH analysis of the essential oil of oregano residue resulted in an IC50 of 797.04 mg.mL-1 and the essential oil of commercial oregano was 424.25 mg.mL-1. Regarding the content of total phenols, the essential oil of commercial oregano showed 0.167 ± 0.058 ug EAG.g-1. Based on these results, concentrations of 50, 100 e 150ug.g-1 of commercial oregano essential oil was added to palm oil and the fatty acid profile was determined by gas cromatography. Analysis were done with palm oil without being used in frying processes and without added essential oil, as well as with the different essential oil concentrations submitted at three frying processes at one single day. In the second part of the project, the effect of oreganos’s comercial essential oil compared to alfavacão essential oil, at the concentration of 100ug.g-1 in palm oil, and submitted to three frying processes during eleven cycles, was studied. The lipid profile was similar to that described in the literature, which an increase in the number of frying times caused a polyunsaturated fatty acids decrease and, therefore, a proportional increase in saturated fatty acids. It was noted an increase in the amounts of total saturated fatty acids from 43.36% (control) to 43.60% (palm oil with essential oil after 11 frying cycles at the concentration of 100ug.g-1). This fact proves that during the frying process, there is an increase in the rate of formation of saturated fatty acids. However, the addition of oregano essential oil did not provide significant change in the fatty acids of palm oil used in frying process of potato chips. The addition of oregano essential oil in a concentration of 100 ug./mL-1 until the third frying cycle showed a reduction effect of trans fatty acid formation. Although, during 11 frying cycles it was not noticed the essential oil effect under trans fatty acid formation. It can be suggested that this factor may be correlated to the frying time, which may not have been sufficient for significant formation of saturated and trans compounds.