Chemically active flavors oxidation

The unsaturated fatty acids in all fats and oils are subject to oxidation, a chemical reaction which occurs with exposure to air. The eventual result is the development of an objectionable flavor and odor. The double bonds and the adjacent allylic functions are the sites of this chemical activity. Oil oxidation rate is roughly proportional to the degree of unsaturation for example, linolenic fatty acid (18 3) with three double bonds is more susceptible to oxidation than linoleic (18 2) with only two double bonds, which is ten or more times as susceptible as oleic (18 1) with only one double bond. Oxidative deterioration results in the formation of hydroperoxides, which decompose into carbonyls, and dimerized and polymerized gums. It is accelerated by a rise in temperature, oxygen pressure, prior oxidation, metal ions, lipoxygenases, hematin compounds, loss of natural antioxidant, absence of metal deactivators, time and ultraviolet or visible light. Extensive oxidation will eventually destroy the beneficial components contained in many fats and oils, such as the carotenoids (vitamin A), the essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic), and the tocopherols (vitamin E). 

The formation of free radicals after lipid oxidation is known to play a key role in the deterioration of meat flavor 8, 23), Since proteins constitute a major portion of the muscle s composition, the relationship between chemically active radical species and decomposition of food flavor proteins and peptides needs to be studied in detail. Data has been presented showing the correlation of proteins with flavor (Figures 5 and 6). Data is now presented showing how soluble meat proteins change in an environment where free radicals are induced by a free-radical oxidation generating system or FROG (Figure 10). 

DHA can be reduced to RAA by chemical agents, such as hydrogen sulfide or enzymatically, by dehydroascorbic acid reductase. The conversion of DHA to diketogulonic acid (DKG) is irreversible and occurs both aerobically and anaerobically, particularly during heating. This reaction results in loss of biological activity. The total oxidation of RAA may result in the formation of furfural by decarboxylation and dehydration. With subsequent polymerization, the formation of dark-colored pigments results. These compounds affect the color and flavor of certain foods, such as citrus juices, and decrease nutritive value. 

Milling results in particle size reduction. Milling techniques have long been used for size reduction of pharmaceutical powders to improve body absorption (Bentham et al, 2004). An increased surface area of food materials will increase the rate of water absorption of materials, improve solubility of dry products, and increase accessibility of sites for chemical reactions (e.g., oxidation, digestion, flavor release, catalyst, and enzyme activity). The structure of food is also important as it dictates how, when, and where food nutrients and flavors may be released. The effectiveness of nutrient bioavailability in food is in part related to its size although other factors such as interactions of the component with a matrix also influence how the component is released. 

Exogenous antioxidants can preserve the quality of meat products. Radical scavengers appear to be the most effective inhibitors of meat flavor deterioration. However, different substrates and systems respond in different ways. Active ferrous iron may be eliminated physically by chelation with EDTA or phosphates, or chemically by oxidation to its inactive ferric form. 

Edible oils are not bleached chemically because the color reduction occurs because of oxidizing reactions that have an undesirable effect on the flavor and oxidative stability of the oil (Sipos Szuhaj, 1996). The effective agents for edible-oil bleaching are natural clays, activated earths, carbon, and synthetic silicates (see detailed descriptions... 

Many examples of Arrhenius plots are found in the literature, but for an electrochemical flavor the one shown in Fig. 3.2, taken from a paper by Kreysa and Medin, refers to the chemical step in the indirect electrochemical oxidation of p-methoxytoluene to p-methoxybenzaldehyde using a Ce /Ce redox couple. This reaction has an activation energy obtained from the slope of Fig. 3.2 ... 

Many biochemical reactions can be induced by temperature increase in foods Maillard reactions, vitamin degradation, fat oxidation, denaturation of thermally unstable proteins (resulting in variation of solubility or of the germinating power of grains, for example), enzyme reactions (which can either be promoted or inhibited), and so on. Some of these biochemical reactions generate components suitable, for example, for their sensory properties (flavor development) others may be more or less undesirable for nutritional or potential toxicity reasons (vitamin losses, changes in color, taste or aroma, formation of toxic compounds). All the reactions are linked to the simultaneous evolution of product composition, temperature and water content (or chemical potential, or water activity), these factors varying diflferently from one point to another, from the center to the surface of the products. 

The pathways for the formation of flavoring substances are characterized by normal chemical reactions such as oxidations, rearrangements, fragmentation and recombination reactions. Fundamental knowledge of reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry can facilitate the structure elucidation of aroma compounds. Review articles of general and specific nature deal with this fascinating field of activity 132, 199, 234, 269, 355, 439, 494, 662). 

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