Influence of processing and storage time on the lipidic fraction of taralli

An experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the influence of processing and storage time on the lipidic fraction of taralli. The data obtained pointed out that the kneading phase caused a significant increase of the oxidized triacylglycerols and triacylglycerol oligopolymers, primary and secondary oxidation compounds, respectively, accompanied by a significant decrease of the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The successive baking step caused the degradation of a part of the oxidized compounds to volatile substances, as confirmed by the p-Anisidine values, whereas the storage time determined a further significant increase of the level of oxidized triacylglycerols. Finally, the level of diacylglycerols, monoacylglycerols, and free fatty acids, indicative of hydrolytic degradation, did not show significant changes. The principal component analysis allowed one to clearly distinguish among samples obtained through processing conditions.