Quality, stability, carotenoids and chromatic parameters of commercial Sacha inchi oil originating from Peruvian cultivars

Sacha inchi oil is a high-quality product with market potential and a wealth of bioactive compounds beneficial for food and health. The main objective of this work was to evaluate three quality parameters, stability, chromatic parameters and total carotenoids of commercial oils obtained from Sacha inchi seeds. The free acidity and peroxide value of all samples studied were in ranges of 0.16–1.86 (% α-linolenic acid) and 1.87–17.47 (meq O₂/kg), respectively. While K₂₃₂ value for the samples ranged from 1.96 to 2.29, the K₂₇₀ value was between 0.08 to 0.20 and ∆K in the range of − 0.005 to 0.005. Regarding color, Sacha inchi oils showed high h_ab and low Cab∗ values, and the L^* values were from 91 to near 100 units. Samples were located in the second quadrant of the CIELAB a^*b^*-color diagram. These characteristics corresponds to low-vivid light-yellow colors. Carotenoid content of Sacha inchi oils was 0.31–9.10 mg/kg. The oxidative stability using Rancimat (100 °C, 20 L/h air flow rate) of these oils presented an average value of 5.6 h. Pearson’s coefficients indicate a very high correlation coefficient between the values of Car (carotenoid) versus b^* (yellow area) (r = 0.991). The results of this study provide better understanding of the quality, stability, chromatic intensities and carotenoid contents of Sacha inchi oil that is marketed in Peru.