Oxidative stability of safflower oil

Abstract Oils from a number of varieties of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds (achene) were measured for oxidative stability by the gain in weight method. The induction periods of oils containing 75% to 80% linoleic acid ranged from 288 to 715 hr. Safflower oils containing 79% to 80% oleic acid and only 11% to 15% linoleic acid had induction periods ranging from 1274 to 2374 hr. No correlation between induction period and total tocopherol content was observed. However, there were indications that oils from pigmented seeds were less stable than oils from pigmentless seeds. Blending of an oil containing a high amount of linoleic acid with an oil containing a high amount of oleic acid gave a blend with an induction period intermediate between the two. However, the induction period was considerably less than the theoretical average calculated for the mixture.