Makayla Maher

Thermal oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in frying oils under prolonged heating at high temperatures causes chemical changes which can result in triglycerides decomposing into smaller molecules, joining into larger molecules and changing chemical structure. They can also result in secondary lipid oxidation products such as aldehydes. These compounds react with proteins and DNA to cause damage in the body. The question which arises is: Could we reduce the negative effects of consuming oxidized frying oils in animals and humans by removing their aldehyde contents? An aldehyde abatement, animal feeding trial and metabolic sample analysis were performed with unheated soy oil, unheated soy oil treated with silica, heated soy oil and heated soy oil treated with silica to determine the effects of aldehydes. The aldehyde abatement was performed on both the heated (185°C for 6 h with bubbling air) and unheated oil by mixing with silica gel to remove their aldehyde contents. The serum amino acid data collected after 1 week and 4 weeks presented similar trends to past studies. One way ANOVA tests show similar trends of decreased tryptophan levels in heated oil group’s amino acids compared to unheated oil group. There were novel urinary metabolites formed in the heated soy oil group which were unseen in all other groups. Two way ANOVA tests show the heated oil groups to be different from the unheated oil groups in the previously studied amino acids (histidine and tryptophan), but silica treated oil was not significantly different from either.