The method of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is used to characterize the thermophysical properties during melting of samples of milk thistle oil of various geographic origins, seeds and meal. The world experience in applying the DSC method on the study of milk thistle oils is generalized. The temperature measurement program is described. It is shown that, despite the general similarity of the curve profiles of the melting DSC, there are differences in the profiles due to genotypic and phenotypic factors - variety and growing location. The DSC curves of freshly squeezed oil distinguish from the DSC curves after 6 months storage of the oil due to oxidative deterioration and the formation of more refractory partially oxidized triacylglycerols. This fact is relevant to determining the capabilities of the DSC method in controlling the freshness of vegetable oils. The peaks amplitudes in the DSC curves of fresh oil are higher than those of oils that has been stored at room temperature for six months. Double differentiation of the melting curves makes it possible to reveal the temperatures of phase transitions in the case of overlapping endothermic peaks, the establishment of which is difficult without double differentiation. Using the «Netzsch Peak Separation» software to divide the peaks in the melting curves allows at once to estimate the areas of overlapping peaks and increase the informativeness of the DSC data. Thermal analysis of milk thistle seeds and meal reveals that the meal contains a residual amount of oil, in which the proportion of triunsaturated fats is overestimated in comparison to seeds, indicating that triunsaturated fats are more difficult to extract from oil by cold pressing.

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