ABSTRACT
Palm oil (PO) purchased from an open market in Ekosodin, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State was stored in an opaque plastic container at room temperature. Over the course of one month, the peroxide value (PV), iodine value (IV), UV absorbance at 762nm (A762nm), and electrical conductivity (EC) were monitored every two days. Standard AOAC methods were employed to determine PV and IV, while UV/Vis. spectrophotometer and conductivity/DO meter were used for A762nm and EC, respectively. Throughout the storage period, PV, absorbance, and electrical conductivity increased, while iodine values decreased. The initial and final ranges of palm oil properties were PV(4.1 – 8.80meq/kg), IV(52.9 - 49.0gI2/g), A762nm(0.630-1.350), and EC(6.42-10.00s/m). The relationship between these parameters revealed strong negative correlations for IV/PV, IV/A762nm, and IV/EC, and strong positive correlations for EC/A762nm, EC/PV, and PV/A762nm. Notably, the strongest correlation observed was for EC/PV with an r value of 0.989 (p < 0.05). The significant r values across all correlations suggest high association among the chemical parameters studied. Consequently, the corresponding regression equations could prove valuable in predicting one parameter based on knowledge of another, particularly in routine industrial quality control.
