Soya oil quality changes with LED and fluorescent light
What it found
People could taste a difference in soya oil after just 32 hours of LED light exposure.
In consumer tests, liking for the oil did not clearly drop, though there was a trend toward lower liking for exposed samples.
What they found
Studies in people
Taste change after 32 hours
Threshold testing with 66 people suggested that differences in the sensory properties of soya oil could be detected after only 32 hours of LED exposure.
LED vs fluorescent light
Flash profiling with 21 people confirmed that light-exposed samples were perceived differently from shielded samples. LED-exposed samples clustered together but separately from those exposed to fluorescent light.
Liking of exposed oil
Consumer testing with 94 people found that the differences did not necessarily result in a drop in liking. There was a trend for lower liking in exposed versus shielded samples.
Other findings
Oxygen levels and packaging
With similar levels of light exposure, elevated dissolved oxygen levels could be mitigated with O2 scavenging.
What the authors conclude
“Our results suggest that soybean oil may be reaching the consumer at a differing quality than intended, which may be mitigated with superior packaging technologies.”
Also in their conclusions
- They suggest that soybean oil may be reaching the consumer at a differing quality than intended.
- They say this may be mitigated with superior packaging technologies.
- They advise that superior soybean oil could be delivered to the market if improvements in packaging technologies were considered.
How it was done
Soya oil is an important commodity in the US and abroad, and damage from prolonged light exposure has been reported before.
They stored soya oil in PET bottles and exposed it to LED or fluorescent light, both at 2000 lux. They used sensory threshold testing with 66 people, flash profiling with 21 people, and consumer testing with 94 people.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study looked at sensory properties and liking, not at health effects.
- It cannot show whether light-exposed soya oil has any effect on health.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Cornell University, USA
The paper
- Title
- Effects of LED exposure on the sensory properties of soybean oil
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zhou P, Lawrence P, Abbaspourad A, Dando R (2022). Effects of LED exposure on the sensory properties of soybean oil. Journal of food science. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.16286PubMed 35986922DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error