Food products naturally containing organic acids

Food products naturally containing organic acids... 

A compound formed from the reaction of an organic acid and an alcohol is called an ester. Some esters are used in the production of polyester fabrics. Many esters are used as flavorings in food products. Natural flavors are often complex mixtures of esters and other compounds, whereas artificial flavors usually contain fewer compounds and may not taste exactly the same as the natural flavor. 

Lipoic acid (the other names are a-lipoic acid or thioctic acid) (Figure 29.9) is a natural compound, which presents in most kinds of cells. Lipoic acid (LA) is contained in many food products, in particular in meat, but it is also synthesized in human organism from fatty acids. Earlier, it has been shown that in humans lipoic acid functions as a component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. However, later on, attention has been drawn to the possible antioxidant activity of the reduced form of lipoic acid, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) (Figure 29.9). 

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