Quality Assessment of Fried Oils from Different Street Food Vendors and Restaurants in Different Areas of Gilgit, Pakistan

Abstract

The study was designed to estimate the quality of the frying oils used in northern areas of Pakistan. A cross-sectional analysis was performed to investigate the behavior and common practices of street food vendors (SFVs) regarding oil selection, food preparation, and awareness of rancid oil on human health. Seventy-Eight (78) commercial fried oil samples were evaluated based on the free fatty acid (FFAs), peroxide value (PV), moisture contents (MC), total polar matter (TPM), color, and iodine value (IV). The analysis showed that FFAs, PV, TPM, color, and IV significantly deviated from standard values provided by Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority.

Keywords Street Food Vendors, Quality, Deep frying, Rancidity, Pakistan