Effects of Sweet Potato Powder Selected Based on the Polar Paradox Hypothesis on Oil Oxidation in the Preparation of Deep-Fried Croquettes

This study investigated whether sweet potato powder (SPP) and purple SPP (PSPP) could prevent oil oxidation during deep-frying. A volume of soybean oil was repetitively used for deep-frying croquettes coated with either SPP or PSPP. An aliquot of the fried oil was collected (SPP and PSPP oils) before and after each frying to analyze moisture and lipid oxidation products (LOPs). With increasing numbers of frying, the moisture content in oils significantly increased without an appreciable difference between SPP and PSPP oils. The total oxidation values reflecting primary and secondary LOPs also significantly increased. However, the values were higher for PSPP oils despite the much higher antioxidant activity of the polar extracts from PSPP compared to SPP. This was attributed to the presence of transition metals. PSPP oils seemed to have association colloids whose interfaces were occupied more with polar antioxidants, thereby transition metals were easily reduced and their pro-oxidative activity increased. The polar paradox hypothesis stating that polar antioxidants are more effective in preventing lipid oxidation in bulk oil is not always applicable to real foods due to various food matrices.