3. Oxidation reactions
While oxygen is essential for life, it is also a major factor in food degradation, since animal and plant tissues destructured by technological processing become highly oxidizable. These reactions, of enzymatic or chemical origin, modify organoleptic properties (color, aroma...) and nutritional properties (destruction of fatty acids or vitamins).
Oxidation generally occurs on structures whose hydrogen atoms are rendered labile by the proximity of electron-withdrawing (electronegative) groups: double and triple bonds, electronegative substituents (ortho diphenol, ene-dio); the loss of a hydrogen atom leads to a free radical.
Different types of oxidation are involved:
You do not have access to this resource.
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
Already subscribed?
Log in!
Ongoing reading
Oxidation reactions