The distribution of 4-hydroxy-hexenal and 4-hydroxy-nonenal in different vegetable oils and their formation from fatty acid methyl esters

Summary The formation of 4-hydroxy-hexenal (HHE) and 4-hydroxy-nonenal (HNE) in eight vegetable oils was investigated at 180 °C. HHE was only detectable in soybean (SBO), rapeseed (RO) and linseed oils (LO). HNE was measured in all tested oils, but was found mainly in corn (CO), sunflower (SO) and soybean oil (SBO). Oil-dependent formation of HHE/HNE was remarkably observed. Furthermore, different fatty acid methyl esters in tricaprylin, as model oil systems, were constructed to demonstrate their characteristic contribution to HHE/HNE formation. As expected, HHE and HNE originated from the oxidative degradation of methyl linolenate (MLN) and methyl linoleate (ML) respectively. Whereas low concentrations of MLN (<5.0%) and ML (<1.0%) produced no detectable HHE/HNE. The results suggested MLN/ML could induce both HHE/HNE formation and pro-oxidation at higher concentrations. Unexpectedly, methyl stearate and methyl oleate slightly promoted HHE/HNE formation, which might be attributed to free radical transfer mechanisms during thermal oxidation.