Evaluation of quality deterioration and volatile organic compounds formation in deep-fat frying of various oils using GC-IMS and kinetic modeling.

Formulated specialty frying oils are widely used, yet studies on their frying quality deterioration and assessment methods remain insufficient, and multi-dimensional correlation analysis of their physicochemical properties, hazardous contaminants, and volatile compounds (VOCs) during high-temperature processing is lacking. Therefore, this study selected three specialty frying oils as the research objects. Crispy meat was processed at 185 °C to simulate the real frying conditions, and through a "physicochemical properties-hazardous contaminants-volatile compounds" correlation model to systematically analyze the quality deterioration patterns of the three oils and the practicability of the quality assessment model. Results showed LFO suffered more severe quality deterioration, while CFO-A and CFO-B had stronger oxidative stability, likely due to their more complex formulations (e.g., containing antioxidants) or to a more favorable distribution of unsaturated double bonds. The volatile profiles differed among the oils, with LFO releasing a richer variety of VOCs, potentially imparting a more distinct flavor profile. However, prolonged frying led to the convergence of the products of deep oxidation and Maillard reactions across the oils, reflecting a common deterioration pattern. ROAV analysis identified 11 key flavor compounds that were significantly negatively correlated with hazardous contaminants, suggesting that oxidative degradation and contaminant formation may involve distinct pathways. Notably, 1-hexanol, common to all three oils, significantly correlated positively with TPC and AV, indicating its potential as a marker for monitoring oil quality changes in this frying system. This study provides a reference for the screening, formulation optimization, and quality monitoring of specialty frying oils.