Fast visual detection of sunflower oil thermal oxidation using Polyacrylonitrile/Congo red nanofiber mats

Lipid oxidation monitoring is essential for food safety and quality, but traditional techniques are expensive and complicated for daily use. This study developed novel nanofiber mats using solution-blowing spinning technology to visually detect the oxidation of sunflower oil that was heated for six hours at 200 °C. These mats (Mat_1-9) are made from polyacrylonitrile (compatible with the used technique) containing various concentrations of Congo red as pH-sensitive dye (0.0025, 0.005, and 0.01 %) and hydroxylamine hydrochloride (0.125, 0.250, and 0.50 %) that react with volatile oxidation compounds to produce a striking color change. Results indicated an increase in peroxide and acid values after six hours. Mat_9 outperformed Mat_1 with a high color change (27.74 ± 0.2) and a response time of only 5 s, whereas Mat_1 took 65 s and had a far lesser response. These mats enable non-experts and food auditors to quickly assess oil quality while efficiently promoting food safety and consumer health.