The quality changes in refined, bleached and deodorized palm olein (RBD olein) and groundnut oil during static heating at 180°C for 5h per day for 8 consecutive days were studied. I he indicesused for assessment of oil quality included % polar components, dielectric constant, polymer content, E1% 232 and 268nm, iodine value, C18:2/C16:0 ratio of glyceride-bound fatty acids, colour, acid value and smoke point. The results showed that the major differences between the performances of the oils were that (i) groundnut oil was more susceptible to the formation polymers and (ii) RBD olein was more prone to darkening than groundnut oil. The results also suggest that darkening of RBD olein cannot be solely linked to quality deterioration of the oil.