Influence of storage temperature and natural antioxidants addition on chia oil nutraceutical blends shelf life

Abstract

This study focuses on the influence of storage temperature and addition of commercialnatural antioxidant-rich sources on the shelf life of chia oil (CO) nutraceutical blends.CO is a valuable product for consumers due to its high ω-3 content, but its susceptibilityto oxidation comprises challenges for its shelf life and quality. Thereby, different chiaoil-antioxidant blends were prepared and stored at 4◦C and 25◦C to evaluate alternativeshelf-life conditions. Commercial antioxidant-rich sources containing astaxanthin(ASX), β-carotene (BC) and vitamin E (VE) were added either alone or combined to CO.To monitor blends oxidative stability during storage, primary and secondary oxidationcompounds were assessed weekly using peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acidreactive substances (TBARS) as indicators. Results showed that storage temperatureplayed a significant role on oxidative stability of CO. When stored under refrigerationat 4◦C, the oil exhibited low and stable oxidation indicators over time, regardless of theantioxidants used. However, at room temperature (25◦C), the use of antioxidants andsome particular combinations of them became crucial to prevent oil oxidative deterioration.Nutraceutical blends of CO/BC and CO/ASX were the best options to preserveCO from oxidation after 8 weeks storage at room temperature (PV < 2meqO2/kg oil).