Influence of the different oils used in dough formulation on the lipid fraction of taralli

An experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the quality of taralli as a function of the type of oil used in their dough formulation. To this end, 4 types of oil (extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, olive-pomace oil, and refined palm oil) were utilized to prepare taralli to investigate on the lipid fraction degradation and evaluate the taralli acceptability by consumers. The data obtained pointed out that taralli manufactured with extra virgin olive oil were significantly more appreciated than those made with refined oils due to their visual appearance and odor. Moreover, with respect to the other kinds of oil, the use of extra virgin olive oil led to significantly lower values (P < 0.05) of specific absorption at 232 and 270 nm (K(232) and K(270), respectively) and of triacylglycerol oligopolymers. It also proved to present a much lower content in oxidized triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols than olive-pomace oil and refined palm oil, respectively. Furthermore, trans fatty acid isomers were absent in taralli made with extra virgin olive oil but were constantly present in those produced with refined oils.