Abstract:Peanut oil was treated with low-temperature radio frequency plasma, and the plasma in an excited state may cause changes in the physicochemical properties of oil. Acidity, iodine content, peroxide content, vitamin E (VE), oxidation stability, and the concentration of trans-fatty acids of peanut oil were used as indicators to assess the influence of the aflatoxin removal process using low-temperature radio frequency plasma on quality of peanut oil. The results showed that after the peanut oil samples were treated with plasma at 100, 200, or 300 W for 10 min, the acidity values were reduced to 0.28, 0.25, and 0.26 mg KOH/g, respectively, and there were significant differences (p<0.05). The iodine value did not change substantially within 10 min, and the differences were not significant (p>0.05). Within the range of the experimental treatment, peroxide content of peanut oil was always below 6 mmol/kg. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis indicated that VE and trans-fatty acid contents were affected by the plasma treatment only slightly. The use of low-temperature radio frequency plasma to remove aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is not only safe and effective but also maintains the quality of peanut oil.
