Chemical composition of corn oil

Corn oil is a triglyceride composed by glycerol and fatty acids. The percentage of triglycerides in corn oil is about 98.6 percent, while the rest are non-oil materials, such as ash, dyes or wax. Fatty acids that make up the corn oil consist of saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids.
Saturated fatty acids

Total saturated fatty acid in corn oil is about 13 percent. Group of saturated fatty acids that make up triglycerides in corn oil are:
1. Palmitic acid
Palmitic acid C atoms have as many as 16 with a melting point 62.9˚C, and the more or less about 10 percent of the weight of corn oil.
2. Stearic acid has a number of C atoms of 18 with a melting point of 69.6˚C and the amount is about 3 percent of the weight of corn oil.
Unsaturated fatty acids.

Group of unsaturated fatty acids that make up triglycerides of corn oil was about 86 percent of oleic and linoleic acid.
1. Oleic acid (cis 9 – oktadecanoic acid)
Oleic acid has a melting point of about 16.3˚C and in approximately the amount of corn oil about 30 percent of the weight of corn oil.
2. Linoleic acid (cis-cis-octadecadienoic acid)
Linoleic acid has a melting point of about -5˚C, and the amount of linoleic acid in corn oil about 56 percent of the weight of corn oil.
Besides the components mentioned above, corn oil also contains unsaponifiable matter, namely:
1. Sitosterol in corn oil ranging from 0.91 to 18%. Type of sterols found in corn oil are campesterol (8-12%), stigmasterol (0.7 to 1.4%), betasterol (86-90%) of the existing plant sterols and in the process of purification, sterol levels will drop to 11-12%.
2. Wax is one faction in the form of crystals which can be separated at the time of corn oil purification using a low temperature.
3. The most important tocopherol in corn oil is the alpha and beta tocopherol, about 0.078%. Several kinds of cluster tocopherol, ie 7 methyl tocol; 7.8 tococreena dimethyl; 5,7,8-trimethyl tocotrienol, (5,7,8)-trimethyl tocol (alpha tocopherol); 7,8-dimethyl tocol.
4. Carotenoids in crude corn oil consists of xanthophyl (7.4 ppm) and caroten (1.6 ppm) and these levels will be reduced to 4.8 ppm xanthophyl and 0.5 ppm caroten after purification.
Corn oil color is dark red and after purified, it is turned to be golden brown. Corn oil specific gravity of about 0.918 to 0.925, while the index value at 25 ° C ranged between 1.4657 to 1.4659. Corn oil viscosity is similar to other vegetable oils that is 58 centipoise at 25 ° C. Corn oil dissolved in ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and furfural.

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