Survey of Oxidative Characteristics of Used Frying Oils in Falafel Shops in Arak City

Oxidation of lipids in foods is one of the most important chemical events during food frying. The resulting chemical indices contribute to various diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, premature aging, respiratory distress syndrome and various liver disorders. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the chemical factors of the oils used in Fried falafels.and then compared with the  case controlled conditions in the laboratory. This study was performed on 50 samples prepared in the shop. Peroxide, anisidine number, total oxidation value (TOTOX) and Kreis test were measured to investigate the destructive effect of falafel compounds on oil, then was compared with the case controlled samples according to the relevant standards in the laboratory. In this study, more than half of the samples could not be used and only 42% of the samples were approved. The mean and standard deviation for this values in the control sample were 4.39±0.62, 6.09±0.87 and 15.68±2.09 respectively. Also, there was a positive correlation between the values of peroxide, anisidine and TOTOX with Kreischr(chr('39')39chr('39'))s test. Based on the results, it was found that most of the chemical factors in the samples were above the permissible limit and used oils on the shops are unhealthy and unusable. Therefore, due to the dangers of primary and secondary oxidation on human health, implementation of training programs and application of the proper way to prepared food for the staff of these centers is essential.