The aims of this study were to determine whether CLA are formed during refining of vegetable oils and to study the level and composition of CLA during heating. The effects of three refining steps (neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization) were analyzed with respect to their effect on CLA content. Two temperatures (180 and 220°C) were used for heating; CLA appeared only after deodorization. The level of CLA was positively influenced by temperature. More CLA were present after treatment at 220°C than at 180°C (1.3 and 0.2% of total FA, respectively). The high temperature modified the relative proportions of the CLA isomers. The main CLA isomers in fresh or heated oils were the trans,trans ones (mainly 9,11 and 10,12 isomers).Paper no. J10494 in JAOCS 80, 937-940 (September 2003).CLA is a generic term to describe isomers of linoleic acid (9cis,12cis-18:2), which contains two conjugated double bonds in positions ∆7 to ∆15 and can be in cis,cis, cis,trans, trans,cis, or trans,trans configurations. Multiple biological effects attributed to CLA isomers were recently reviewed by Pariza et al.(1). CLA are naturally present in dairy products, but they also are produced by chemical isomerizations. In dairy products, 9c,11t-18:2 represents about 80-85% of the CLA isomers (2). Commercial CLA mixtures obtained by chemical processes contain mainly 9c,11t-, 10t,12c-, 8t,10c-, and 11c,13t-18:2, accompanied by smaller quantities of 8-10, 9-11, 10-12, and 11-13 isomers in cis,cis and trans,trans configurations (3). Sébédio et al. (4) detected some CLA in sunflower oil heated under harsh conditions. CLA are also present in margarine and in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (1) as a result of catalytic hydrogenation. More recently, the levels and structures of CLA isomers in vegetable oils collected from restaurants have been described (5). But no information indicates whether CLA are naturally present in crude oil and what the influence is of heating on the structures and the levels of CLA isomers. The aims of this study were to determine whether CLA are present in crude sunflower oil and whether any step of the refining process (neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization) induces formation of CLA isomers, and to understand the effects of heating on the level and the composition of CLA.
MATERIAL AND METHODSChemicals. All solvents were distilled before use. For HPLC, acetonitrile was of UV grade (SDS, Peypin, France). The chemical reagents were obtained from Sigma (L'Isle d'Abeau, France).Samples and heating conditions. Crude and processed sunflower oil samples (neutralized, bleached, and deodorized) were obtained from a European manufacturer. Each sample was collected during the industrial processing of a single batch.Sunflower oil also was purchased in a local supermarket. Sunflower oil (1 L) was heated while exposed to air in a glass flask with a temperature control system. Two temperatures were used: 180°C, which corresponds to what is usually recommended for frying foods (6), and 220°C, which corresponds to a temperatu...