Acid number

Acid number: what is it and why is it important for the quality of dietary fats

The acid number is an indicator of the quality of dietary fats, which determines the amount of potassium hydroxide required to neutralize the free fatty acids contained in 1 g of fat. This indicator is of great importance for the food industry, since it allows one to assess the degree of oxidation and spoilage of fats, as well as determine their suitability for use in food products.

In the production of edible fats, the main condition is the preservation of their quality characteristics throughout the entire shelf life. However, exposure to oxygen, light, high temperatures and other factors can lead to oxidation of fats, which significantly reduces their quality and nutritional value. To avoid this, pi

Acid number is an important indicator of fat quality

Acid number (AN) is an indicator of the quality of vegetable and animal fats, which is expressed by determining the amount of alkali (potassium or sodium hydroxide, NaOH) required to neutralize all free fatty acids in a certain amount of oil (1 g/ml). The CN typically ranges from 15 to 250 mg KOH per g of oil.

Whole fats (from nuts to butter) and foods containing them (such as butter) tend to ripen over time. This is due to a decrease in the CN, which leads to a decrease in the quality and stability of the oil. The main method of monitoring oil maturation is monitoring the CN level.

For studies of edible oils, CN can be measured either using special instruments or using standard methods and samples of substances for standards (for example, CN = 8/97 for animal oil or CN = 7/93 for synthetic oil).

The CN level increases as the degree of oil maturity (or the level of antioxidants) increases