Autoxidation of unsaturated lipids in food emulsion.

Unsaturated lipids having various physiological roles are of significance in biochemistry, nutrition, medicine, and food. However, the susceptibility of lipids to oxidation is a major cause of quality deterioration in food emulsions. The reaction mechanism and factors that influence oxidation are appreciably different for emulsified lipids and bulk lipids. This article gives a brief overview of the current knowledge on autoxidation of oil-in-water food emulsions, especially those that contain unsaturated lipids, which are important in the food industry. Autoxidation of unsaturated lipids in oil-in-water emulsion is discussed, and so also their oxidation mechanism, the major factors influencing oxidation, determination measures, research status, and the problems encountered in recent years. Some effective strategies for controlling lipid oxidation in food emulsion have been presented in this review.