A study of the effect of ambient light on the quality of locally refined Palm kernel oil. – R. A. Etiuma and I. E. Uwah
ABSTRACT
Palm Kernel oil produced by Nigerian traditional methods and refined were stored for eight weeks at ambient conditions (22±30C; ambient light) and in the dark (23±40C). Some nutritional quality parameters (peroxide value (PV), A233nm, levels of Vitamin E and UV-VIS spectra) were monitored during the storage period. Correlation coefficients, simple and multiple regression equations between the quality factors were worked out with the aid of computer (SPSS). PV increased while A233nm and Vitamin E levels decreased during storage. All the UV peaks disappeared during storage while there were no peaks in the visible region. High negative r values (about 0.70 – 0.99) were obtained between Vitamin E and PV. The r values between Vitamin E and absorbance at 233nm (A233nm) was 0.859.