Contenido de compuestos polares totales en aceites de cocina previo uso más vendidos en Medellín (Colombia)

background: concentration of polar compounds in cooking oils is an indicator of high temperatures damage and health risks. however, for some oils, the increase of those compounds is due to beneficial health substances. although there is not an international standard, investigations report between 0,5-3,0% of polar compounds in previously used oil. depending on the type of compound they may have beneficial or adverse effects. objective: to determine total pc content in previously used cooking oils most marketed in medellín (colombia). method and materials: 14 commercial brands of cooking oil were studied (olive, canola, sunflower and blended oils) and polar compound quantity was determined following iupac, 2000 methodology, with some modifications. results: pc content was lower in canola oils (1,22±1,70), followed by sunflower oils (1,96±3,30). olive and blended oils presented the highest content of pc (3,29±0,14 and 4,69±3,90 respectively). in 7 samples, pc content was higher than 3%. this percentage corresponded to olive, blended and one brand of sunflower oil. no significant differences were found among pc averages according to oil type and brand. conclusion: the different types of cooking oil studied showed a percentage of cp within the range reported in the literature.