Hydroperoxides linolenate

Additional evidence indirectly supports the reversibiUty of reaction 2. The addition of oxygen to a highly conjugated radical is readily reversible even at 40°C according to a study of the isomerization of methyl linolenate hydroperoxides in the presence of 02 (95). 

Reaction yields depend on the nature of the substrate. Linseed oil contains two polyunsaturated fatty acids 50% linolenic acid and 18% linoleic acid. The corresponding hydroperoxides are obtained with low yields. 

As a reasonable biogenetie pathway for the enzymatic conversion of the polyunsaturated fatty acid 3 into the bicyclic peroxide 4, the free radical mechanism in Equation 3 was postulated 9). That such a free radical process is a viable mechanism has been indicated by model studies in which prostaglandin-like products were obtained from the autoxidation of methyl linolenate 10> and from the treatment of unsaturated lipid hydroperoxides with free radical initiators U). 

Potato LOX has the potential to be used as an alternative model to the mammalian enzyme because of its great availability(Lopez-Nicolas and others 2000). To date, three isoenzymes of potato LOX have been isolated. Several works have reported linoleic acid as the optimum substrate for potato LOX-1, 9-hydroperoxide being the main product of the reaction. Another LOX substrate, linolenic acid, has been reported as the preferred substrate for both potato LOX-2 and -3, which produce 13-hydroperoxide as the main product. 

The volatiles produced by the LOX pathway and autoxidation are typically volatile aldehydes and alcohols responsible for fresh and green sensorial notes. In the LOX pathway these volatile compounds are produced in response to stress, during ripening or after damage of the plant tissue. The pathway is illustrated in Scheme 7.2. Precursors of the LOX (EC 1.13.11.12) catalysed reactions are Cis-polyunsaturated fatty acids with a (Z,Z)-l,4-pentadiene moiety such as linoleic and a-linolenic acids that are typically oxidised into 9-, 10- or 13-hydro-peroxides depending on the specificity of the LOX catalyst. These compounds are then cleaved by hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) into mainly C, C9 and Cio aldehydes, which can then be reduced into the corresponding alcohols by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH EC 1.1.1.1) (Scheme 7.2) [21, 22]. The production of volatile compounds by the LOX pathway depends, however, on the plants as they have different sets of enzymes, pH in the cells, fatty acid composition of cell walls, etc. 

Scheme 7.2 Pathway for the enzymatic degradation of linoleic acid and linolenic acid via the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway to Ce key aroma compounds in fruits and vegetables responsible for green notes. HPL hydroperoxide lyase, ADH alcohol dehydrogenase...

Hexenol ( leaf alcohol ) Linolenic acid Soy lipoxygenase + plant hydroperoxide lyase + baker s yeast 4 g kg 5-101 year (also by isolation from plant oils) Addition of baker s yeast to obtain the alcohol without yeast the aldehyde is the major product [60, 66]... 

In plants the 13-hydroperoxide produced from linolenic acid by lipoxygenase (Sect. 23.4.1.2) can be converted to the allene oxide by allene oxide synthase followed by cyclisation, reduction and -oxidation to form jasmonic acid, an important plant growth factor the corresponding methyl jasmonate is a valuable flavour and fragrance compound that imparts a sweet-floral, jasmine-like note... 

The cloning, characterisation and expression of many lipoxygenase (TOX) [17] and hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) [18] genes has led researchers to propose new processes for the production of green note flavours. HPT specifically produces the highly demanded compound ds-3-hexenal from the 13-hydroperoxide of linolenic acid and hexanal from the hydroperoxide of linoleic acid, both of which are formed by TOXs (Scheme 26.2). 

Figure C4.2.1 Lipoxygenase (LOX)-catalyzed transformation of linoleic or linolenic acid (R = CH3(CH2)4-, linoleic acid R = CH3CH2CH=CHCH2-, linolenic acid) showing oxidation by molecular oxygen and formation of conjugated diene hydroperoxides. These events give the basis for measurement of activity by either oxygen uptake or UV absorption at 234 nm. Also shown is the usual preference for (S)-stereospecificity of oxidation.

It should be noted that both linoleic and a-linolenic acids form hydroperoxides that absorb UV radiation at 233 nm (i.e., the same wavelength as that of CDs). Furthermore, CDs are formed upon decomposition of hydroperoxides from a-linolenic acid, absorbing at 233 nm, whereas secondary oxidation products, particularly ethylenic diketones and a-unsatu-rated ketones, show a maximum absorbance at -268 nm. Carotenoid-containing oils may interfere in the assay by giving higher than expected absorbance values at 233 nm, due to the presence of double bonds in the conjugated structures of carotenoids. 

The basic mechanism of autoxidation at elevated temperatures is similar to that of room-temperature oxidation, i.e., a free radical chain reaction involving the formation and decomposition of hydroperoxide intermediates. Although relative proportions of the isomeric hydroperoxides, specific for oleate, linoleate and linolenate, vary with oxidation temperatures in the range 25°C -80°C, their qualitative pattern is the same (. Likewise, the major decomposition products isolated from fats oxidized over wide temperature ranges are those reflecting autoxidation of their constituent fatty acids (2 -6). The mechanisms and products of lipid oxidation have been extensively studied. The reader is referred to the numerous monographs, reviews and research articles available in the literature (1,A,7,8,9,10,11). 

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