INTRODUCTION

Fats and oils are substances that are most abundant lipids in nature. Fats are known as
triglyceride which are the esters of three fatty acid chains and an alcohol glycerol. Fats usually
present as solid at room temperature while oil which are fat with short unsaturated fatty acid
chains present as liquid at room temperature. This is merely a contrast of convenience since
oils are solidified at low temperature and fats melted at higher temperature. Physical properties
of fats and oils are the most critical importance in order to determine its use. Their physical
properties are also important to indicate freshness and quality of fats and oils as well as their
functionality in food products. Fats are invariably mixtures of mixed triglycerides and every
triglycerides has their own melting point (Deman et.al., 1983).The fats are melt over a range of
temperature. The melting point is the point which the temperature is equilibrium at solid and
liquid phases and melting point of fats are related to their physical and thermal properties
(Supekar, 2017). The melting point also is used to characterize oils and fats. The mostly used
method to determine the melting point of fats is open tube capillary method.

Refractive index is defined as the ratio of the speed of light at a specific wavelength in
air to the speed of light in fats or oils that are being analyzed. Refractive index of fats and oils
relate to the molecular weight, fatty acid, the length of chain, the degree of unsaturation and
also degree of conjugation. The velocity of light is decreases by increasing the refractive index
of substances as it passed through different substances. this is because of the interaction
between the molecules of components in substrate and effect of the interactions on light. The
refractive index decreases when the temperature is being increased. The refractive index of fats
and oils is measured by refractometer. For specific gravity, all the naturals occurring fats and
oils have below than 1.0 of specific gravity. The specific gravity indicates the ratio between the
weight of substance and the weight of and equal volume of water. The specific gravity of fats
and oils can be measured at standard temperature. SG bottle is used to measure the specific
gravity of fats and oils. for determination of iodine value, the important parameter of different
vegetable oils is the amount of unsaturation of the fatty acids and it is measured by iodine value
(IV) which determined by Wij’s method (Kyriakidis and Katsiloulis, 2000). The iodine value also
is useful in studying oxidative rancidity of oils because high unsaturation will increase the
rancidity of oils.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this experiment are to determine the melting point, refractive index, specific
gravity and iodine value of fats and oils.
METHODS

A. Determination of melting point (Capillary Tube Method)

Firstly, 1 cm length of fat or oil which had been melted was inserted into a capillary
tube by using a piece of filter paper. Then, the capillary tube was cooled at a
temperature of >0°C for 2 hours. The tube was immersed in water so that the end of the
fat or oil was 1 cm below the level of water. Approximately 800 mL of water was used in
1000 mL beaker. Next, a thermometer was hanged in the middle of the beaker and the
water was heated at the rate of 1°C/min. The temperature at which the fat started to slip
out of the tube and final temperature when all the fat had slipped out of tube was
recorded. The temperature was referred as slip point or melting point.

B. Determination of refractive index (RI)

For the determination of RI using a refractometer and a sodium vapour lamp, the
temperature used were 20°C for oils, 40-60°C for hydrogenated fats and 80°C for
waxes. For scale adjustment procedure, 2-3 drops of distilled water were placed on the
main prism surface using a syringe, covered with the secondary prism and was looked
through the eyepiece. The refractometer was being set at 1.3330 (Brix 0%) if the
thermometer scale was 20°C. An adjustment was carried out according to the chart in
the refractometer manual when the temperature was other than 20°C. Next, the
secondary prism was opened and 2-3 drops oil was placed at the centre of the main
prism. The sample was ensured evenly distributed and no air bubbles produced. After
that, the secondary prism was being closed with caution. The measurement knob was
slowly turned while looking through the eyepiece until the boundary line was observed in
view. The measurement knob was turned until the view changed from dark to light. The
degree of lightness can be changed using the “high-low” switch on thermometer box.
After that, the colour compensator knob was turned to remove the colour of the
boundary line and a clear boundary line was seen. The measurement knob was turned
again to coincide the boundary line with the crossed line. Lastly, the R.I was recorded
which the top scale shown the RI and the bottom scale shown the brix reading.

C. Determination of specific gravity (SG)

Empty SG bottle was weighed. The SG bottle was then being filled with oil and
the bottle was closed with a stopper which has a capillary bore. Next, it was cooled at
7°C for 24 hours. The SG bottle was warmed at 25°C or room temperature until
expansion had ceased. After that, the bottle was wiped and cleaned on the outside and
was weighed. Lastly, the SG of oil or fat was being calculated.
 D. Determination of iodine value

Firstly, the sample was weighed accurately to the nearest 0.0001g into a dry
clean conical flask. Then, 20 mL of cyclohexane was added to dissolve the fat/oil. The
flask was warmed slightly to facilitate dissolution of fat/oil. Next, exactly 25 mL of Wij’s
solution was added and stopper being inserted before it was being shaken gently. The
conical flask was placed in the dark for 1 hour and high IV oils (>150) required longer
time which was 2 hours. 20 mL of 15% potassium iodide solution and 100 mL was
added after standing for 1 hour. After that, the solution was being titrated with 0.1 M
sodium thiosulphate solution until the yellow color due to iodine had disappeared. The
flasks were ensured well shaken. Furthermore, 1 mL of starch indicator solution was
added and the titration was continued until the blue color disappeared after vigorous
shaking. 2 determinations were carried out on the same test sample and a blank test
was carried out simultaneously under the same conditions.

RESULTS

DISCUSSIONS

Increasing the degree of unsaturation increases the refractive index and when the length of the
chain increases, the refractive index also increases and that is why it is used to control the
hydrogenation process.

QUESTIONS

1) List the methods used to determine the physical properties of fat

2) E

CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

https://discoverfoodtech.com/fat-melting-point-analysis/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319135553_Relationship_of_Physical_Propert
ies_of_Fats_and_Oils_with_Quality_Characteristics_of_Cookie

https://chestofbooks.com/food/science/Experimental-Cookery/Chapter-XIII-Fats-And-
Oils.html