Fatty Foods Become Rancid Due to the Process of

Q. Fatty foods become rancid due to the process of. 

In the abovementioned question, the process discussed is the process of Oxidation.

When fats and oils are exposed to light and air, they oxidize or hydrolyze, causing them to turn rancid. When the fats and oils in food oxidize, the flavour as well as the smell of the meal changes. It is caused by the aerial oxidation of unsaturated fat found in meals and other items and has a foul odour or taste. The rotten food’s aroma and flavour are caused by the oxidation of fats that produces highly volatile chemicals. Such chemical changes ultimately deplete the food’s nutritional value.

Fats

In basic terms, fats could be understood as the most significant component of a person’s diet since these aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These are indeed a source of energy and thus are essential for fat-soluble vitamin assimilation.

Prevention

Rancidity could be prevented by using some method to preserve the food as well as its nutritional value :

1. Addition of Anti- Oxidants

As its name suggests its meaning, these anti-oxidants prevent the process of oxidation and are generally added to foods having some quantity of fats to resist oxidation.

2. Addition of Sequestering Agents:

Metals are linked by sequestering compounds, which prohibit the same from initiating auto-oxidation. Some famous examples of Sequestering Agents are EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) and citric acid etc.

3. Proper Storage of Fats and Oil Food:

As we are aware of the fact that light and heat enhance the frequency of reactivity of lipids to oxygen, rancidification can indeed be reduced by keeping fats and oils in some kind of a cold, dark area with minimal exposure to oxygen as well as free – radical.

Further, must not add new oil to containers that already have old oil in them. It will catalyze the reaction, leading the fresh oil to get rancid faster than if it were maintained inside a fresh, empty jar. Permit containers to empty & dry completely before being used, using wet vessels will hasten up the issues connected with oxidation.