Stabilisation of sunflower oil and reduction of acrylamide formation of potato with rosemary extract during deep-fat frying

•Rosemary extract effectively slows sunflower oil deterioration during deep-frying.•Rosemary extract effectively slows the acrylamide formation in deep-fried potato.•Synthetic antioxidants BHA and TBHQ do not outperform the rosemary extract.•TPC and FFA levels significantly correlated with frying time.•Acrylamide in deep-fried potato significantly correlated with TPC of frying oil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rosemary extract on the stabilisation of sunflower oil and the reduction of acrylamide formation in potato during deep-fat frying. The synthetic antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole, tertiary butylhydroquinone, and tocopherols served as positive controls. Thermo-oxidative alterations were measured according to various physical and chemical parameters. Total polar compounds, free fatty acids, conjugated dienes, conjugated trienes, and colour (L*, b*) were evaluated for effectiveness of the antioxidants to stabilise the sunflower oil. The acrylamide concentration was evaluated for effectiveness of the antioxidants to reduce the acrylamide content in the deep-fried potato. Except for the decreased L* value (darkness of oil colour), these parameters all increased with the number of frying cycles. The order of effectiveness for inhibition of sunflower oil degradation and reduction of acrylamide formation in deep-fried potato was: rosemary extract > tocopherols > tertiary butylhydroquinone > butylated hydroxyanisole > control (P < 0.05). Total polar compounds, free fatty acid and acrylamide levels were significantly correlated with frying time (P < 0.05). The acrylamide formation in fried potatoes was significantly correlated with the formation of total polar compounds (P < 0.05) in the frying oil during the frying process.