Q12 Explain the term "rancidity". What damage are caused by rancidity of food. What type of reaction involved for the causing of rancidity of food.
Answers
Rancidity is a term generally used to denote unpleasant odours and flavours in foods resulting from deterioration in the fat or oil portion of a food
Three different mechanisms of rancidity may occur. These are oxidative, hydrolytic, and ketonic. Oxidative Rancidity.
Answer:
Rancidity: Rancidity can be defined as the chemical decomposition of fats and oils due to hydrolysis or auto-oxidation or microbial activity, producing aldehydes, hydroxyl acids, keta acids, and other compounds. This causes a considerable damage to the natural structure of fats and oils, producing undesirable odors, flavors and discoloration in the food containing them; making them unfit for consumption.
For Example: When butter is kept open for a long time, then its smell and taste gets changed (due to the presence of butyric acid (a four-carbon acid)).
Factors responsible for causing rancidity are light, oxygen, trace elements such as iron and zinc, salt, water, bacteria, and molds etc.
Types of chemical reactions responsible for causing rancidity:
(i) Oxidation Reaction: Oxidation is said to have occurred when a substance reacts with oxygen in the air forming oxides. It causes the formation of peroxide at the double bonds (C=C) of fat molecules with subsequent breakdown of these peroxides to form aldehydes, ketones and acids of lower molecular weight. This results in off-flavor, off-odour and sometimes change in colour.
(ii) Hydrolysis: Hydrolysis can be defined as the breaking down of a chemical compound into two or more simpler compounds by reacting with water. It decomposes a lipid into its component fatty acids and glycerol.
C-O-CO-R + H2O → C-O-H + HO-CO-R
Explanation: