The Use of Lipid Oxidation Indicators to Assess the Quality Deterioration of Potato Chips during Accelerated Shelf-Life Tests

Time-efficient determination of oxidation-caused changes in high-fat and long shelf-life snacks can be conducted with accelerated shelf-life tests (ASLTs). The purpose of this study was to assess the suitability of various oxidation indicators (fatty acid composition, volatile compounds and descriptive sensory analysis) for the development of ASLT methodology. For this, sunflower oil-based potato chips were stored at 20°C, 30°C, 40°C for 90 days. The results revealed that the rates of the degradation of fatty acids and the development of organoleptically perceived rancidity increased at higher storage temperatures throughout the experiment, following Arrhenius's behavior. However, as the changes in fatty acid composition does not provide information about organoleptical quality, it is not the best oxidation indicator for conducting ASLT. The analysis of volatile compounds showed that hexanal had the highest concentration throughout the experiment and was one of the key molecules based on GC-O analysis. However, the increase in hexanal concentration at higher storage temperature did not follow a linear trend due to the formation of methyl ketones. Therefore, it was concluded that sensorially assessed rancidity is the most suitable oxidation indicator to monitor the shelf-life of potato chips when conducting ASLTs due to its compliance with Arrhenius equation.