LAMI-009: High Oleic Palm Oil (HOPO) and its advantages in Deep Frying processes

Abstract
Palm oil and its fractions have been used as frying oil for a very long time in several cultures. A new frying oil from the Daabon Group in Colombia, the High Oleic Palm Oil (HOPO), is entering the markets. It is an interspecific crossbreeding between the African palm (Elaeis Guineensis, EG) and the South American palm (Elaeis Oleifera, EO). This new palm tree is much more profitable than the EG. The high oleic palm oil is characterized by a high content of Oleic acid (C 18:1) about 58%. The scope of the trials was to examine the performance, the oxidative stability, the fat intake of the fried good and finally giving a quality related guidance on choosing a frying oil.

 

Material and Methods

The test was done in the “Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik” (German Institute of Food Technology) (DIL) and evaluated with the support of Dr. rer. nat. Christian Gertz. Several chemical and physical parameters are examined to evaluate the alteration of the frying oils. The determination of the chemical parameter was done with an FTIR-NIR at the Maxfry GmbH.

 

During the test, several parameters were tested. It was the first trial that was done in Europe for HOPO. The fatty acid profile of the HOPO implements a better heat stability in comparison to the common EG palm oil. To make a realistic comparison to standard frying oils in Europe sunflower as main reference oil was chosen. The high frying stability was verified during the test. The TPM value increases during the frying but not in such a way like the sunflower oil. The sunflower oils achieves the TPM of 25 % after already 39 h of frying (Figure 1). To determine the TPM max. values for the two high oleic palm oils an extrapolation was necessary. The stability of the HOPO is quite similar to the stability of the palm olein (EG) / Soybean blend which contains an antioxidant. The HOPO shows a comparable stability. The high oleic palm oil achieved after extrapolation a final TPM value of 25 % after 56 hours (Figure 2). In comparison, the sunflower oil reached the max. TPM level after 39 hours of frying. The HOPO shows a comparable stability as a blend of EG palm olein/soybean oil blend with the addition of an antioxidant. The evaluation of the iodine value shows that the HOPO has a less degree of unsaturated fatty acids (Figure 3). The less decrease in double bonds results in a better stability for the HOPO.

 

During frying several degradation processes take place. This effects the sensory stability as well. The correlation between the DPTG and the TPM has an influence on the sensory aspects. This can be used to define a sensory discard point of the oil.

 

The fat intake of the french fries, which were fried in the HOPO is more than the half of the fat intake of fries (Figure 4), which were fried in sunflower oil or the blend of palm olein (EG)/soybean oil.

 

The expectations of food industry and consumers on the frying oil is different. Therefore a simple preference analysis was done (Figure 5). As criteria the sustainability, the stability, taste and the health aspect was evaluated. Per used frying oil there is a scoring of 10 points. The preference value (a) implicit the importance of why an oil should be selected. The evaluation is done by a voting of a team how the different oils fulfil the selected criteria . Finally the products of each criteria per oil are summarized (Figure 6). The highest score describes the best product. [2]

 

Conclusion

– High Oxidative stability of HOPO (56h to reach TPM 25%) 

– Crunchy texture, orange-brown colour, characteristic flavour 

– Nice colour of frying good 

– Less viscosity as sunflower oil 

– Less fat intake than sunflower or blend of palm olein and seedoils 

– No linolenic acid (C 18:3) / low PUFA / low C 18:2 

– Free of trans 

– Natural toco (tocopherols 1000-2000ppm and carotenoids < 1000ppm)

 

There are several advantages of the HOPO. It has a high amount of saturated acids which results, according to newest publications [1] in a better cholesterol ratio. It is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and results in a better heat stability. The better Omega 6 to 3 ratio promotes better health aspects as well. The world is in a process of change due to climate aspects. There is an overall movement for a sustainable frying. The HOPO, also available as ORGANIC, is a good choice for sustainable frying, regarding the high yields, the good stability, the performance and the sensory of the fried goods. High oleic palm oil is the most efficient way to ensure planetary health and secure the future supply of vegetable oil.

 

References
[1] Dr. med. Tim Hollstein, Gesättigte Fette nicht verteufeln, Deutsches Ärzteblatt, Jg. 118 Heft 7 19.02.2021
[2] Bernd Brinkmann, Quality criteria of industrial frying oils and fats, European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, Sep. 2020

 

Many thanks to my colleagues of the Daabon Group, Santa Marta, Colombia. Special thank to the R&D team of Ph.D. Maria del Pilar Noriega E, the production team of Ana Milena Martínez Abuabara, the quality team of Luis Caicedo Sanchez, product development Liliana López Mendoza and Bernd Brinkmann.