Academic Journal

Kinetic and Spectroscopic Evaluation of β-Carotene and α-Tocopherol Degradation in Fatty Acid Methyl Esters.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Kinetic and Spectroscopic Evaluation of β-Carotene and α-Tocopherol Degradation in Fatty Acid Methyl Esters.
Συγγραφείς: Grabowski P; Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Lukasiewicz Street 17, 09-400 Plock, Poland., Szwarczyńska A; Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Lukasiewicz Street 17, 09-400 Plock, Poland., Skorupski S; Faculty of Civil Engineering, Mechanics and Petrochemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Lukasiewicz Street 17, 09-400 Plock, Poland.
Πηγή: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) [Molecules] 2026 Jul 01; Vol. 31 (13). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 01.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 100964009 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1420-3049 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14203049 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Molecules Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI, c1995-
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): alpha-Tocopherol*/chemistry , Esters*/chemistry , beta Carotene*/chemistry , Fatty Acids*/chemistry, Antioxidants/chemistry ; Rapeseed Oil/chemistry ; Kinetics ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Temperature ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Biofuels
Περίληψη: The limited oxidative stability of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) constrains their use as biofuels. This study presents a direct, side-by-side comparison of β-carotene and α-tocopherol as natural antioxidant additives in FAME produced from refined rapeseed oil, evaluated under identical thermo-oxidative conditions (100-140 °C). We combine kinetic modelling (first-order and zero-order fits, Arrhenius analysis) with spectroscopic monitoring (UV-Vis for β-carotene; FT-IR for α-tocopherol) and standard oxidation indices (PV, AnV) to link antioxidant depletion to fuel oxidation. Key findings are: (1) β-carotene effectively delays hydroperoxide formation at lower temperatures but degrades rapidly above 120 °C (Ea 6-23 kJ·mol-1), producing secondary products that increase AnV; (2) α-tocopherol shows greater thermal resistance and predictable, dose-dependent protection across the tested range (optimal at 556 µg·mL-1), with higher doses exhibiting potential pro-oxidant effects; (3) activation energies and kinetic orders differ between antioxidants, indicating distinct degradation pathways in the FAME matrix. These results demonstrate that reintroducing natural antioxidants removed during refining can improve biodiesel durability, and that antioxidant selection and dosing must be tailored to expected thermal exposure. The combined kinetic-spectroscopic approach provides a practical framework for optimizing natural additive strategies in biodiesel formulations.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: fatty acid methyl esters; natural antioxidants; oxidative stability; α-tocopherol; β-carotene
Substance Nomenclature: H4N855PNZ1 (alpha-Tocopherol)
0 (Esters)
01YAE03M7J (beta Carotene)
0 (Fatty Acids)
0 (Antioxidants)
0 (Rapeseed Oil)
0 (Biofuels)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260715 Date Completed: 20260715 Latest Revision: 20260726
Update Code: 20260726
PubMed Central ID: PMC13363349
DOI: 10.3390/molecules31132298
PMID: 42451665
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE