TOTOX value - wish and fact

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The TOTOX value (TOTal OXidation value) in food supplements should be as low as possible - that is the wish; unfortunately, the reality is often different. This raises the question of why.

What is the TOTOX value?

As mentioned in the introduction, the value describes the oxidative stability of omega-3 fatty acids in oils. If the value is high, this indicates high oxidation and low oxidative stability of the oil; if it is low, this means good stability and low oxidation.

How is the TOTOX value calculated?

The value is calculated from two values:

• the peroxide value (POZ - measure of the content of primary peroxide functional groups of a fat or oil)
• the anisidine number (AnZ - measure of the content of secondary α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in fats and oils)

The formula is short and sweet:

TOTOX = AnZ + 2 x POZ

Significance

The pure consideration of the TOTOX value, without knowledge of the individual values AnZ and POZ, is not useful for assessing the freshness and oxidative stability of the respective substance.

While olive oil has a fairly high aniside count of around 24 and is still described as fresh (due to the natural content of polyphenols), another oil with an identical AnZ value would be classified as spoiled.

Apart from olive oil, an oil or fat that can be considered fresh usually has AnZ values of 1 ... 3, in any case < 6.

The POZ number increases with increasing oxidation, i.e. the longer the oil is exposed to atmospheric oxygen. The originally highest quality oil can therefore be "spoiled" simply by prolonged exposure to atmospheric oxygen. Ideally, all production processes should take place in the absence of oxygen, e.g. in a nitrogen atmosphere.

It indicates how many peroxide-bonded atoms are contained in mmol per kilogram of oil or fat. It should be noted that a peroxide group always has 2 oxygen atoms. Therefore, for example, if 1 kg of oil or fat contains 2 mmol of peroxide groups, the POZ is 2, because 2 atoms of oxygen x 2 mmol equals 4.

Values of fresh oils

While POZ should be < 6 mmol/kg, the AnZ value should be < 20 and the resulting TOTOX value < 26.

Batch dependency

Values stated on products must always be evaluated depending on the batch, as a value stated in the brochure always varies from batch to batch.