Analysis of the palm oil quality for the production of DIY non-food products

. One of the current trends in the modern market is the use of palm oil as a raw material for the production of DIY non-food products, in particular cosmetic products. The work examined the organoleptic and physicochemical parameters of non-food palm oil intended to produce cosmetics and sold through marketplaces on the Internet. The purpose of the study is to verify the compliance of these goods with mandatory quality and safety requirements. As a result of the study, the problem of non-compliance of samples with standard requirements both in terms of labeling and values of organoleptic, physical and chemical quality indicators was identified. Such factors potentially pose a risk to consumer health.


Introduction
Palm oil is obtained from the pericarp (pulp) of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis N.J.Jacquin.It accounts for more than a third of the total world production of vegetable oils.In terms of consumption, palm oil ranks first in the world.At the same time, one can note a tendency to increase both the volume of its consumption and areas of use [1,2].Currently, about 70% of palm oil is used for food purposes, about 25% to produce cosmetics and household goods, and the remaining 5% for biofuels and other purposes.The product is completely imported into the territory of the Russian Federation (mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia).So, in 2022 973 thousand tons were imported into Russia.
Palm oil in world trade is not divided into edible and technical, although the chemical composition and quality of individual batches may vary significantly [3].
The Russian market traditionally imposes strict requirements on the quality and safety of food products, including palm oil for food use.The requirements for the quality of palm oil for the food industry are set out in GOST 31647-2012 "Refined deodorized palm oil for the food industry.Technical conditions".It also gives the following definition of palm oil: "vegetable oil extracted from the fleshy mesocarp of oil palm fruits, with a mass fraction of fat of at least 99.9%, not subject to modification, purified through a full cycle of refining stages and deodorization." At the same time, standard standards regulating the quality of palm oil for non-food purposes, as well as a number of its processed products, were absent from the Russian market for a long time.In 2019, the Preliminary National Standard 355-2019 "Palm oil and its fractions" was developed.General technical conditions" (hereinafter referred to as PNST 355-2019), which applies not only to palm oil used in food production.PNST 355-2019 provides for the separation of palm oil and its fractions depending on the degree of purification and purpose, including the separation of oils for the production of non-food products.According to this standard, palm oil and its fractions intended for the production of cosmetic products are in turn divided into "unrefined; refined, non-deodorized; refined bleached non-deodorized and refined bleached deodorized for industrial processing."The following definition is also given here: "palm oil is a mixture of glycerides (triglycerides, triacylglycerides) of fatty acids and accompanying substances, extracted by pressing the mesocarp (pericarp) of the oil palm fruit (Elaeis guineensis N.J.Jacquin)."This definition of the term, from the authors' point of view, is more acceptable for describing the product in question.
The use of palm oil and its fractions is traditionally used in the cosmetics industry in the production of:  care products for aging skin, dry, flaky, rough, inflamed, sensitive (for example, lip balms);  nail care products (to prevent brittleness and splitting of the nail);  hair and scalp care products (eliminating fragility and stimulating hair growth);  toilet soap;  shampoos and other hygienic detergents (non-ionic surfactants, emulsifiers).These ingredients combine well with all components of the cosmetic products listed above, improve the rheology of oil/water cosmetic emulsions, and provide high foaming properties [4].
The relevance of the topic raised is also due to the fact that the market share of the supply of DIY goods (from the English "Do It Yourself") has increased, when individual private entrepreneurs or self-employed people organize small production facilities for the production of "handmade soap" and other products of their own indie brands (from the English Indie Brands), which involve the use of palm oil in their recipes with their further sale through social networks or thematic websites.The explosive growth of such offers was observed in 2020-2021 amid restrictions associated with the pandemic.This trend continues to the present day.These products are advertised on the Internet as "exclusive", "rare", "special", "unique, "handmade", etc., which most consumers associate with high quality [5][6][7][8][9].
The purpose of the study was to verify the compliance of palm oil samples for soap making and the production of cosmetics sold via the Internet and used in small non-food industries with the requirements of Russian standards.

Materials and methods
All tested samples belong to non-edible fat and oil products, are imported into the Russian Federation, and are subject to technical regulation in accordance with TR CU 024/2011 defining them as "fat and oil products intended for technical, household purposes." The objects of the study were the offers of sellers occupying the first three places in Russian search sites, based on the assumption that visitors to these sites are more active.Based on the labeling on the packaging and a number of other identified features of the products, it can be assumed that all samples were purchased between 30 and 50% before their expiration date.
Organoleptic quality indicators, such as transparency, color, consistency, were assessed in accordance with the requirements of PNST 355-2019; smell according to GOST 5472-50.
Physical and chemical quality indicators included the mass fraction of moisture and volatile substances was determined according to GOST 11812; mass fraction of fat -by calculation method according to PNST 355-2019; acid number -according to GOST 31933; peroxide value -according to GOST 26593; mass fraction of non-fat impurities -according to GOST 5481; iodine number -according to GOST 5475.

Results and discussion
At the first stage of the study the compliance of the labeling of consumer packaging samples with the requirements of TR CU 024/2011 was established.Since the samples were offered for sale in consumer packaging, we examined the completeness and correctness of its labeling.The product names of all three samples said "refined palm oil" without detailing use, deodorization and bleaching.In the first sample there was no information about the manufacturer (which is mandatory), in the second sample the name of the manufacturer was present, but there was no information about its location.All mandatory information about the manufacturer was available only in the marking of sample No. 3.
The first and third samples had information about the date of manufacture, but they had no information about the expiration date (which is mandatory).The second sample, on the contrary, had information about the expiration date, but it had was no date of manufacture.No information about storage conditions, including the need for storage in special refrigerated conditions, was provided in the labeling of all samples.
Thus, it can be stated that, even though online trading has recently been actively moving into the controlled sphere, the products under study do not meet the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 024/2011 in all respects.
Table 1 shows the results of assessing the organoleptic quality indicators of the studied samples.Such a quality indicator as taste in oils for industrial processing for non-food purposes is not standardized.
Among the studied samples, only sample No. 2 meets the established requirements in terms of organoleptic indicators.In the first and third samples there is an odor of oxidized fat, expressed with different intensities: in the first the signs are weaker.Both samples show significant discoloration and separation of the palm oil liquid phase.It should be noted that for oils for industrial processing it would be rational to introduce standardization of color in the solid state, which would allow for rapid assessment.In the solid state, the color of all samples is light with a creamy tint and has no signs of yellowish coloration.The results of physical and chemical quality indicators of the studied samples are given in Table 2.The data presented indicate that all physical and chemical quality indicators of the samples do not meet the established requirements: for example, the actual value of the acid number in the third sample is more than 2 times higher than the established norm.All samples have a very high mass fraction of moisture and volatile substances -3.5-4 times higher than normal.The shades of oxidized fat present in the odor of the first and second samples correlate with the high content of primary oxidation products in them -peroxides and hydroperoxides, established when determining the peroxide value.Low iodine values are associated with the oxidation of fats and the processes of saturation of double bonds occurring in the samples.

Conclusion
A study of the qualitative characteristics of palm oil intended for processing for non-food purposes, in particular for single and small-scale production of cosmetic products, including DIY products sold in the Russian Federation via the Internet, showed that such products may not meet established requirements as in part of the labeling, and in terms of organoleptic and physico-chemical quality indicators.All random samples have organoleptic and physicochemical signs of fat oxidation.Sellers offering this product often do not comply with the legal requirements for the presence of mandatory information in the labeling of consumer packaging.
To confirm statistically the conclusion made, a large sample is required, but the research already conducted shows the presence of problems in the field of quality and safety of the studied products for end consumers.
In conclusion, it is proposed to introduce color standards in the solid state for non-food oils.This, along with the organoleptic indicators given in the work, would allow for quick express diagnostics of product quality.

Table 1 .
Characteristics of organoleptic quality indicators of samples.

Table 2 .
Characteristics of physical and chemical quality indicators of samples.