THE EFFECT OF INTERMITTENT HEATING ON SOME CHEMICAL-PARAMETERS OF REFINED OILS USED IN EGYPT - A PUBLIC-HEALTH NUTRITION CONCERN

As part of a public health campaign in Egypt, various chemical paramet ers of oil which are considered good indices in assessing the degree o f thermal abuse, oxidation and overall quality (acid values, iodine va lues, peroxide values, etc.) were studied with respect to different fr ying oils. Ingestion of decomposition products formed as a results of thermal abuse and oxidation of frying oils are known to lead to a vari ety of symptoms and diseases (allergies, atherosclerosis, coronary hea rt disease). Results show that the oil most commonly used by street ve ndors in Egypt (blend of cotton seed and sunflower oil) is the least s uitable for frying, while palm oil on the basis of the various chemica l parameters studied, is the ideal choice. However, from the nutrition al and public health stand point, the use of saturated oils is to be d iscouraged. Corn oil is therefore the next best choice from both the c hemical and nutritional stand point, and is recommended for public use in a country in which deep-fried vegetable patties ('fallafel') forms the staple food item in the diet.