Usefulness of the frequency data of the Fourier transform infrared spectra to evaluate the degree of oxidation of edible oils

The oxidation process of 13 edible oil samples with different proportions of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acyl groups has been studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The oxidation experiments were carried out by heating the samples in a convection oven at 70 degrees C. Duplicate spectra were recorded from a film of pure oil between two disks of KBr for each sample every day during the course of the oxidation, and frequency data of each band of the spectrum were collected automatically. Changes in the values of the frequency of most of the bands of the spectra were observed. The shiftings of the frequency value of specific bands allowed one to distinguish between the different stages of the oxidation process and to establish the oxidation degree of each oil sample. This methodology could be useful to evaluate the oxidative stability of edible oils in a simple, fast, and accurate way.