Metals have long been recognized as perhaps the most ubiquitous catalysts of lipid oxidation in foods, and chelators are routinely added for control. Even so, metal catalysis of lipid oxidation in foods remains poorly understood, especially in terms of effects on oxidation pathways and product distributions, food quality, and development of potentially toxic compounds. Despite the importance of metals in lipid oxidation, for more than 20 years little research has been focused on problems created by metals, perhaps because lipid oxidation was also ignored during the same period. Now as foods are being reformulated with essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, concern about oxidation has again come to the forefront, along with urgent need to analyze products in multiple pathways beyond hydroperoxides. Hence, this is an opportune time to revisit the role of metals in lipid oxidation, examining their multiple catalytic mechanisms beyond decomposition of hydroperoxides and their generation of products that don't match simple autoxidation. This paper will present an overview of mechanisms by which metals catalyze lipid oxidation, emphasizing how different metals and mechanisms alter lipid oxidation kinetics and product distributions. These altered oxidation patterns will then be connected to effects on food quality for consumers and to new challenges to analytical capabilities in quality control and research. Important aspects of metal catalysis of oxidations needing up-to-date research will be identified.

Transition metals: Multifaceted catalysts of lipid oxidation and degradation of food quality

2019 Fall National Meeting

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