Abstract:In this study，the utility of tea polyphenols as antioxidants in vegetable oils was assessed.Tea polyphenols，vitamin E，and tert-butyl hydroquinone were added to rapeseed oils to determine their effects on peroxide value，acid value，malondialdehyde（MDA）content.The activity of the assessed antioxidants in vegetable oils decreased in the following order：tert-butyl hydroquinone，tea polyphenols，vitamin E.In the free radical scavenging test，tea polyphenols showed strong scavenging ability with respect to both·OH and DPPH free radicals.The results revealed that the MDA content in corn oil was lower than that in palm and rapeseed oils.When the concentration of tea polyphenols was 0.4%-0.5%，the acid value and peroxide value of 3 kinds of vegetable oil were at the lowest level during the 30 days storage process，indicating that the concentration of tea polyphenols was resistant to oils and fats.The findings of this study indicated that tea polyphenols were effective in delaying the oxidative rancidity of vegetable oils and would thus be suitable as antioxidant additives for these oils.