Peanut fatty acid oxidizing system

If that does occur, then the present system of classification of oils may be impossible to police, and a modified system may become necessary. Perhaps the sale and perceived value of oils will necessarily become dependent on the performance, not the source of the oil. With bulk oils such as palm, peanut, sunflower, safflower, sesame, soya, rapeseed, com, fish, and animal fats and oils, the fatty acid composition will obviously be important for health reasons. If the oil is to be used for frying then the frying properties will be important. In the case of palm products the physical properties and minor components such as carotenoids will be defined. Similarly animal fats will be judged mainly on physical behaviour and effect on the product in which they are used. In all cases the oxidative and stability of the oil will have to be defined. Sesame is a very stable oil, and thus its stability, together with its low level of linolenic acid, would be its major attribute, except for toasted sesame, which would probably be classed as a specialist oil. Already most baking fats sold to the public are blends developed to give the best performance, with no mention on the pack as to the source. If a bulk oil of this type had the desired chemical composition, stability and cooking behaviour, then perhaps the source would not be a matter of concern. 

Newcomb and Stumpf (1952) first described an enzyme system in peanut cotyledons that catalyzed the oxidation of C fatty acids to C i aldehydes with liberation of CO2. In the presence of NAD", the aldehyde is oxidized to the corresponding C i fatty acid which can enter the cycle for further a-oxi-dation (Martin and Stumpf, 1959). The peanut system was described as a peroxidase process for which a H202-generating system was required (Mar-kovetzeta/., 1972). 

Stumpf reports that a specific fatty acid peroxidase occurs in peanut plants, which oxidatively decarboxylates substrate in the presence of enaymically generated peroxide (711). Added reagent peroxide is ineffective. The reaction is inhibited by cyanide, azide, and imidazole, but not by catalase. Long-chain fatty aldehydes maybe one of the reaction products. This system appears to be primarily peroxidatic, but a more complete characterization would be of great interest (711). 

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