Gas chromatography analysis of blackcurrant oil in relation to its stability

Samples of blackcurrant oil of different age and mode of storage were subjected to gas chromatography (GC) analysis in order to determine the stability of the fatty acid mixture. It was found, that the decrease in the amount of γ-linolenic acid and α-linolenic acid, the priority importance polyunsaturated acids, is represented by the value of about 10% in 10 years. On the other hand, the sum of the composition of linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid and α-linolenic acid remains almost constant during that period. The study shows the value of GC in designing simple, efficient and highly reproducible analytical technique in performing this study. The designed analytical method may be used for routine analyses of plant oils of different origin.