Effect of riboflavin on the photo-oxidative stability of vegetable oil in salad dressing

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), headspace oxygen and solid phase microextraction gas chromatography and peroxide value were used to evaluate the effect of riboflavin on the photo-oxidation of vegetable oil in salad dressing. Salad dressings with 0, 5, 20, 50 and 100 ppm added riboflavin were stored under light (2500 lux) at 25 °C for 5 days. Crystallisation peaks in the DSC thermograms of the oil samples shifted to lower temperatures and enthalpies decreased as the storage time increased. As the riboflavin concentrations increased from 0 to 100 ppm, the crystallisation enthalpies increased from 27 to 31 J/g and the maximum crystallisation temperature increased from −64 to −62 °C during the 5 day storage. Headspace oxygen depletion rates, the formation of volatile compounds and peroxide values of the salad dressing samples simultaneously decreased with the addition of riboflavin, showing that riboflavin protected the oil in salad dressing from photo-oxidation.