The effect of some fibers and lecithin on phase separation and storage stability of tahini

The high percentage of oil in the structure of tahini tends to separate from other components during storage. Although oil separation is structurally a natural occurrence, it is undesirable for consumers, leading to the perception of the product as low-quality. Throughout the storage period, a significant portion of the oil accumulates on the surface, and the remaining part below solidifies, making consumption more challenging. The tahini used in the study was brought to the laboratory immediately after production and stored in glass jars with 100 mL each. No additives were added to the sample used as the control group. Three types of additives (sesame fiber, sugar beet fiber, and lecithin) were added to tahini in different proportions (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3% w/v). The effect of the type of additive, level of addition, and time on preventing the separation of the oil phase from tahini was investigated at different storage times (0th, 30th, 60th, and 90th days). Additionally, its effect on pH, free fatty acidity (FFA), TBA, and conjugated diene values was also studied. According to the results of the analysis of variance, it was determined that the types of additives, levels of addition, and storage time had very significant effects on all parameters (p<0.01). According to the results obtained from the study, as the additive levels increased, the amount of oil separated from tahini decreased compared to the control, but no difference was determined between the levels. The main goal of this study is to reduce the percentage of separated oil from tahini, and according to the results of the additives used at different levels, it was determined that the separation of the oil phase was prevented up to 30% compared to the control sample.