H.A. Hashem, M.A. El-Waseif

Abstract
Vegetable oils and fats as well as their blends are important ingredients in manufacturing infant formula or infant food (IF). Oil blends constitute ca. 30% of the ingredients content of IF. Nutritional value, quality and shelf-life of IF greatly depends on essential composition and quality factors as well as oxidative stability of the oil blend used. Eight oil blends were prepared from palm oil, palm kernel oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil at different ratios for IF formula liars. The prepared oil blends were investigated and evaluated for their essential composition and quality factors, oxidative stability and shelf-life, taking into consideration that oil blends used should comply with Codex Standard for infant formula (72-1981), especially its prescribed ratio of linoleic/α-linolenic acids. The induction period (IP) in hrs was taken as an index of the oxidative stability of the oil blends investigated. Moreover, the ratio of linoleic/α-linolenic acid of oil blends was also calculated. The results showed that oil blends No. 3 and 8 were found to have the highest oxidative stability (IP 24.1, 24.4 hrs. respectively), followed by oil blends No. 2, 4, 1, 7, 5 and 6 which had IP of 21.0, 20.4, 19.8, 18.4, 17.8 and 15.1 hrs, respectively. It could be concluded that using palm oil and palm kernel oil in preparing oil blends resulted in significantly improved oxidative stability. The IP of refined palm kernel oil, palm oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil were found to be 29.6, 26.4, 3.88 and 3.72 hours respectively. The results showed that for ratio of linoleic/α-linolenic acid only oil blends No. 1, 2 and 3 complied with the Codex Standard on infant formula (72-1981). Taken into consideration the highest oxidation stability and ratio of C18:2/C18:3 reported in Codex Standard on IF, oil blend sample No. 3 (palm oil 75%, palm kernel oil 10% and soybean oil 15%, ascorpyl palmitate 0.027%, citric acid 0.003% and mono, diglyceride 0.05%) was judged the most suitable and recommended for use in manufacturing of IF.