Screening of the antiradical action of vegetable oils

Information on radical scavenging activity (RSA) and antioxidant potential of vegetable oils are not reported, or reporting has been rather limited. Such data is of importance for the evaluation of nutritional and health impact of these oils. The main objective of this short study was to compare the antiradical performance of some common and unusual vegetable oils. The described arrangement for our simple experiment uses the addition of stable radicals 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) to vegetable oils, which are decomposed by components having antioxidant properties. The order of effectiveness of oils in inhibiting free radicals was as follows: coriander > blackcumin > cottonseed > peanut > sunflower > walnut > hemp seed > linseed > olive > niger seed. This initial survey might serve as a springboard for future research into this area. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.