Cold Test - Vegetable and Animal Oils

On Which Foods Is Cold Test Applied? Purpose and Stages of Analysis ...

The basis of cold test performed on vegetable and animal oils; It is the measurement of the resistance of oil to precipitate formation at a temperature of 0 ^o C and 4 ^o C.

Clouding of the oil is observed as a result of rapid cooling (0 ^o C) after the oil sample is brought to a very high temperature (130 ^o C).

The main components of clouding material found in oils are either triacylglycerols (TAG) or beeswax esters. Minor ingredients can include hydrocarbons, free fatty acids and alcohols, diacylglycerols and phospholipids. In both canola and sunflower oil, the formation of sediment depends on the temperature and the concentration of components that contribute to sedimentation. Cold test is not applied to extracted oils.

Cold Test Stages:

- The oil sample filtered through the filter paper is heated to 130 ^o C.
- The heated oil is placed in test bottles and tightly closed.
- The samples are immersed in an ice-water bath and examined 6 hours later in the first stage.
- After the first 6 hours of control, the process can be ended with the 24th hour control.
There should be no turbidity in the sample at the end of the cold test.

The cold test is often used as an index of winterization or stearin removal processes.