Suitability of contact angle measurement as an index of overall oil degradation and oil uptake during frying

The aim of the work was to investigate the suitability of contact angle measurement as an index of overall oil degradation phenomena and oil uptake of French fries during frying. In order to measure the contact angle, an image analysis method was developed and applied to four vegetable oils (palm oil, palm super olein, sunflower oil and a blend of hazelnut and high-oleic sunflower oil) in actual frying experiments. With liquid oils, contact angle modification proved to be a sound index of overall oil degradation, being inversely correlated with oil acidity, peroxide value, total carbonyl compounds, K232, and viscosity. A significant correlation between contact angle and potato oil uptake was found for sunflower oil. For the other oils, factors such as the structure of food subjected to frying or the oil melting point and viscosity seem to be important in influencing oil uptake.