Physical, Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Rice Bran Oil During Heating and Reheating Cycles.

Fats and oils are an integral part of our daily diet as they provide energy,
essential fatty acids and vitamins A, D, E and K. They protect body organs, keep us
warm, and assist in absorption of nutrients as well as help in hormone production. In
India many edible vegetable oils namely, sunflower, groundnut, safflower, mustard and
sesame oils are used for cooking /frying. Rice bran oil (RBO) is being extensively used
in Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand. In recent years
in India RBO, because of its nutraceutical value and nutritional profile, is gaining
popularity as a cooking medium. Frying is a unique processing operation in the
preparation of many snack products. During frying, the oil undergoes a series of
chemical transformations like oxidation, hydrolysis and polymerization. Extensive
research work has been done on the chemical changes occurring during deep fat frying,
very few attempts have been made to relate the stability of the oil to nature of the food
product being fried. The present investigation encompasses a systematic study on
changes in RBO during frying. Effect on, nature of food being fried on oil stability,
monitoring of natural antioxidants during deep fat frying and biological effects of the
fried oil.