Chemical and sensory characterization of corn oil flavoured by citrus

Abstract A commercial and refined corn oil was added with fresh lemon and orange fruits to produce corn oil flavoured (COF), which were characterized for their quality parameters, fatty acid profile and concentrations of minor components. The sensory analysis was performed by a panel using the quantitative descriptive analysis and the hedonic score. Results showed that the addition of citrus fruits did not affect the oil quality indices, accomplishing the requirements for commercialization. The biophenols and pigments, initially absent in the refined oil, were detected in COF. The addition of orange or lemon fruits to the corn oil had no effects on oil stability, while the volatile profile in the headspace of flavoured oils showed the presence of several terpenes that were originally absent, among them: limonene; γ-terpinene; α-pinene and β-pinene. The sensory results confirmed that positive attributes and the acceptability of the unflavored corn oil can be improved by increasing amounts of both fruits.