The Tocol Content of Crude Palm Oil Based on the Level Ripeness and Their Relationship to the Quality and Their Stability

Abstract

Palm oil contain tocol and betacarotene which has an antioxidant function to protect the oil from oxidation process. Palm oil comes from different maturity have not been specifically determined their tocol and betacarotene content, and their relation to quality and stability. The purpose of this research was to find the content of tokol and betacarotene in palm oil which comes from different maturity and to determine its stability of quality. The level of maturity was fraction 1 (unripe), fraction 2 and fraction 3 (ripe), fraction 4 (over-ripe).The result showed that palm oil which comes from different level of maturity from fraction 1, 2, 3 and 4 contained different amount of tocol and betacarotene. The quality of crude palm oil which were analysed by the value deteoriation of bleachability index (DOBI) had closed relationship to the number of beta-carotene in the palm oil. The color stability and oxidation were different in every level of maturity. The level of maturity which had the best quality and its stability was fraction 3. The tokol and betacarotene compound were 346 ppm and 727 ppm respectively, while the DOBI value was 2,75.