The Impact of Blending Soybean Oil Fatty Acid (S.B.A.) With Melon Seed Oil Fatty Acid (M.S.A.) on the Oxygen Absorption of Soybean Oil Fatty Acid

The oxygen absorption of the fatty acids of soybean (S.B.A) and melon seed (M.S.A) oils and their blends were monitored at 10-minute intervals for five hours at 31.5, 45, 60 and 90oC, using a manometer. Moles of absorbed oxygen were calculated from pressures of un-reacted oxygen using the ideal gas equation. The moles of absorbed oxygen were plotted against time for the acids and their blends at the various temperatures. The plots, show parabolic rise in oxygen absorption with time for each acid and blend for all temperatures except for 90oC when the optimum oxygen absorption was reached at about the fourth hour. Oxygen absorptions were highest within the first 2.5hours for all temperatures except for 90oC where the rates were highest within the first 1.5hours. Fifth-hour oxygen absorption values were plotted against temperature for various blend compositions. The plots show that the optimum oxygen absorption temperature range for the neat acids and the various blends lie within the range of 45-75oC. 50% M.S.A./50%S.B.A exhibited synergistic improvement in oxygen absorption while other blends show no positive effect on oxygen absorption of M.S.A but rather a decline.