1.0 Introduction
The world “fats” names a food group that includes what is probably though as both fats and plant supplies and are usually solid a room temporate oils are produced mainly from plants and are liquids. The most common oils are extracted from seed (safflower, sunflower, sesame, canda, flex) beans (peanuts, soy), grains 9corn wheat germ) fruits (avocado, olive) and nuts (almond, coconut, walnut, palm kernel).
In the natural foods industries, the term unrefined vegetable oil is used for expeller pressed unrefined vegetables oils.
When labeled, unrefined oils should contain only 100% expeller pressed oil of the first pressing. Unrefined vegetable oils are processed using a higher standard (great care0. tank and line flowly with hart goes, washing and purging of lines between different vegetable oils, and proper degregation of vegetable oils are all handling techniques used to inhume healthier, better quality vegetable oils.
The properties of vegetable oils are very important factors in food industries as they determine the actual quality-freshness and shelf life of oil processed or bought from the market. This is because as finished goods (canned foods, sterilized foods etc) deteriorate, so also do unrefined vegetable oil depreciate in quality when stored for a considerable long period of time and the only way industries that uses them for production can check the qualities is only by carrying out an empirical study on the depreciating properties of the oil.
The analysis aim testing of fats and oil is needed for an assessment of the quality and the purity as well as for their identification. A number of physical and chemical constants have been established for these purpose. Although many of them are empirical, others are guite specific measurement of the properties of the oil. Those most commonly used to establish identity are, saponfication value, iodine value refinactive index, free fatty acid, peroxide value, moisture content, etc. a comparative study of the effect of storage on the properties of unrefined vegetable oil is therefore essential for checking the various factors that results to the change in properties of unrefined vegetable oil when stored for a long period of time. This from the bases or aim of this research work.
Since, there are so many kinds of unrefined vegetable oil as there are vegetable oils it will not be possible for all of them to be exhausted in this work. To this end, unrefined palm oil will be used as the experimental sample.
Sequel to the various studies made, it is believed that at the end of this research work, the society will come to know that strong unrefined palm oil for a long period of time will affect certain important properties which reduces the value of the oil for a particular application. Moreover, the knowledge to be developed form this research work will be appreciated in the storage and preservation f the unrefined palm oil, as wel as the various uses for which the oils might be put into such as, paint making, soap and detergent production, lubricants, pharmaceuticals, plaxticsers, cooking etc.
1.1 Objectives of Study
The objectives of this research work is to determine the effect of storage on the properties of unrefined vegetable oil by carrying out various empirical test and to compare them with the commercial standards and trading rules of Nigeria industries standards for food and quality control (NIS). It is also aimed at educating the masses on the keeping factor of unrefined vegetable oils, some empirical tests that could be embarked upon to determine the quality of the oil and to achieve on its storage characteristics.
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