Antioxidant Activity of Amino Acid Sodium and Potassium Salts in
Vegetable Oils at Frying Temperatures
Abstract
Previous studies reported that several amino acids had strong
antioxidant activity in vegetable oils under frying conditions. In this
study, the carboxylic acid group of amino acids was converted to a
carboxylate group (-COO-Na+ or -COO-K+), a heating study was conducted
with amino acid salts in soybean oil at 180 ºC. Sodium salts of amino
acids including alanine, phenylalanine, and proline and disodium
glutamate had significantly stronger antioxidant activity than the
corresponding amino acids, and potassium salts had stronger antioxidant
activity than sodium salts. Potassium salts of alanine and phenylalanine
more effectively retained tocopherols in soybean oil than the
corresponding amino acids during heating. Phenylalanine potassium salt
had stronger antioxidant activity than phenylalanine in other vegetable
oils including olive, high oleic soybean, canola, avocado, and corn
oils. Phenylalanine potassium salt at 5.5. mM more effectively prevented
oil oxidation than tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), a synthetic
antioxidant, at its legal concentration limit (0.02%) indicating its
feasibility as a new antioxidant for frying.