SOME RADIOCHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS ON MINOR CONSTITUENTS IN SOYBEAN OIL

A14C-labeled high molecular weight hydrocarbon and an insecticidal compound were added as minor constituents in soybean oil samples. Liquid scintillation counting was used to assay the radioactivity of the oil preceding and after laboratory simulations of commercial processing procedures (bleaching and deodorization). Radiochemical techniques were found to be highly sensitive and quantitative and detection was unaffected by chemical modification or decomposition of the parent compound. Labeled (14C) benzo(a)pyrene was retained primarily by the oil during extraction, filtering, solvent stripping, deodorization and treatment with AOCS bleaching earths. Treatment of the oil with activated charcoal effected removal of this hydrocarbon. Bleaching was ineffective in removing added14C-endrin from the oil but a deodorization using specific conditions of temperature (250 C), time (2 hr), and pressure (4.5 mm) removed this constituent. © 1969 AOCS Press.