ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS OF ONION AND GARLIC EXTRACTS ON PALM OIL USED IN THE PRODUCTION OF PLANTAIN CHIPS

Abstract

Literature on the use of natural antioxidants in ready-to-eat African foods are currently scarce. The consumers of foods now prefers the use of natural antioxidants rather than their synthetic counterparts in the maintenance of quality foods. Consequently, this research is set to determine the natural antioxidant effects of onions and garlic extracts on the quality of palm oil used in the production of plantain chips as a ready to eat-to-eat African food. Samples of palm oil with and without onions and garlic were collected at various temperatures (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180 and 2000C respectively) for analysis. The standard methods for the determinations of free fatty acids, peroxide, saponification and, iodine values were adopted for the assays. The results obtained revealed that addition of onions and garlic to palm oil for frying affects the quality of the palm oil. The free fatty acid and peroxide values (in samples without and with onions) increased with increase in temperature whereas, the values of iodine, saponification and peroxide (in the oil with garlic) decreased with increase in temperature. The garlic acid appears to have a more antioxidant effect based on the present study. Keywords: Palm oil, Anti-oxidants, Onions, Garlic, Plantain chips