Abstract
We considered that the characteristic taste of food cooked with oil might be attributable to the oxidized compounds generated from the heated oil during cooking. We therefore investigated the effect of auto*oxidized fatty acid on the taste by a sensory test to study a role of oxidized oil in the taste of food.
Linoleic acid, linolenic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and arachidonic acid (AA) were auto-oxidized at 35°C for 24 h and separately extracted with water. Diluted soy sauce was added to each aqueous extract to enhance the taste intensity. Oxidized AA most strongly enhanced the taste among the oxidized fatty acids.
The addition of a small amount of AA to vegetable oil used for cooking enhanced the umami, kokumi, after-taste and palatability of such foods as croquettes, fried rice and vegetable soup cooked with the oil.
These results suggest that oxidized oil would enhance the taste of food, and that the addition of a small amount of AA would be useful to improve the taste of the food.
