Investigating food product stability with Anton Paar’s RapidOxy 100

Oxidative stability is a key factor affecting the quality and shelf life of food products. When oxygen reacts with product ingredients, it can cause degradation that may lead to off-flavours, nutrient loss, or worse – the formation of harmful byproducts. These effects reduce product quality and shorten shelf life. In many cases, antioxidants are essential to preserve product properties and maintain overall quality.

RapidOxy 100 is the only instrument that performs the Rapid Small-Scale Oxidation Test (RSSOT) according to ASTM D8206. The system automates precise, reproducible oxidation stability testing by applying high temperature and oxygen pressure to accelerate sample aging, thereby enabling fast results. RapidOxy 100’s measuring principle enables direct oxygen uptake measurement inside a sealed chamber, making it ideal for R&D, quality control, and efficient shelf-life testing across countless sample types.

Typical method conditions include temperatures from 80°C to 140°C, and an initial oxygen pressure of 700 kPa. These conditions initiate a rapid oxidation process. The oxygen uptake of the sample during the measurement is monitored by recording the pressure until a predefined pressure drop or a specific measurement time is reached.

The elapsed time until the pressure drop occurs – or the extent of the pressure drop within a defined time – is directly related to the total oxygen consumption of the sample, enabling an assessment of the sample’s oxidation stability. 

The setup and cleaning procedures are straightforward and take less than five minutes. Samples can be measured without prior sample preparation, which allows the shelf life of a product to be investigated in its original state.

The resulting measurement curve can be further analysed using the OxyLogger 100 desktop software. The software adds convenience by allowing curves to be compared easily with a single click. Additionally, the oxidation induction time (OIT) is automatically determined by applying tangents, providing one more evaluation option. Whether it's the induction period or OIT, the Arrhenius dependence of the test results enables OxyLogger 100 to automatically calculate the activation energy or estimate the shelf life for fats and oils with just one mouse click. Furthermore, the oxygen uptake can be calculated for any point in time, providing a deeper understanding of the product’s oxidation behaviour.

“Oxidation is one of the main drivers of quality loss in food products, yet it is often difficult to evaluate reliably within practical timeframes,” said Dr Carolin Edinger, Product Manager for RapidOxy 100 at Anton Paar.

“With RapidOxy 100, we empower food manufacturers and researchers to investigate oxidative stability quickly and reproducibly – without complex sample preparation. This makes it much easier to compare formulations, assess the effectiveness of antioxidants, and make informed decisions about shelf life early in development and during routine quality control.”

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