Iodine value and Free Fatty Acid: an Index of Edible Oil Oxidation

Edible oils play an important role in the body as carriers of essential fatty acids (EFA). Oil oxidation is an undesirable series of chemical reactions involving oxygen that degrades the quality of an oil. Researchers have found a relative loss of the C18:2 fatty acid and a decrease in the iodine value (IV) of oil after heating due to more intensive thermo-oxidative transformations that occur compared to heated oil containing food. The decrease in the iodine value can be attributed to the destruction of double bonds by oxidation, scission, and polymerization. IV is not a measure of quality but is an indicator of oil composition. Present paper is an attempt to discuss importance of iodine value and free fatty acid value for monitoring oxidative rancidity of an oil