Efecto de temperaturas de fritura en las características reológicas de aceites comestibles.

Abstract

Frying, a process widely used in food preparation, generates significant changes in vegetable oils due to oxidation, polymerization and hydrolysis, affecting their quality and rheological properties. This study evaluated the effect of frying temperatures and thermal cycles on the rheological characteristics of two edible oils: sunflower and extra virgin olive. Using a completely randomized factorial design, viscosity and mathematical fluid model were analyzed during four frying cycles with banana slices as food models. The results showed that sunflower oil is more susceptible to degradation, with a progressive decrease in viscosity attributed to volatilization and loss of compounds at higher temperatures and cycles. In contrast, olive oil evidenced greater thermal stability, maintaining consistent behavior even under extreme conditions. Both oils exhibited mostly Newtonian characteristics. These findings highlight the importance of controlling thermal parameters to preserve the quality of edible oils, highlighting viscosity as a key indicator of deterioration and quality during frying.