4.Conclusions
Tomato seed oil possessed high thermal stability and an excel- lent physicochemical profile even after 50 h of heating at 180 C even though it had similar physicochemical characteristics as that of other commonly used vegetable oils. The antioxidants such as tocopherol and polyphenol had a high possibility in making sig- nificant contribution to the high thermal stability of tomato seed oil. It was also confirmed that higher storage temperature, exposure to light, and larger headspace volume significantly accelerated the oxidation rate of tomato seed oil during storage, among which the most pronounced factor was temperature, followed by light, while headspace volume had less impact on the quality stability of oil. It is suggested that tomato seed oil is packaged with minimal light exposure and stored at a low temperature. The research results showed a good potential for tomato seed oil to be fully developed and produced in industry as a desirable edible oil.