Physico-chemical characterization of sesame oil derivatives.

Ozone treatment of commercially available vegetable oils gives rise to the formation of chemical species that are responsible for the therapeutic properties of ozonated oil derivatives in dermatological diseases. In the last years, these products have been successfully used as a topical disinfectant in a number of serious skin affections. The medical application of empirically prepared ozonated oil has yielded striking improvements with unexpected and rapid healing, compelling us to begin a long-range study aiming first to define the main characteristics of the most common ozonated vegetable oils, about which there is usually no medical consensus because of the lack of standardization of their technological parameters. Sesame oil was selected because of its great amount of polyunsaturated acyl groups, as well as natural antioxidants. Moreover, we have determined the kinetics and optimal conditions of ozonation (e.g., ozone concentrations, time of exposure, temperature) for obtaining an ozonated oil characterized by well-established technological and physico-chemical properties, namely an accurate peroxide value determination. On the basis of the results, we have gained an understanding of the modifications of the vegetable oils during the ozonation process.