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Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Food Chemistry and Composition

Lipid oxidation

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

nounCommon term

In food science & technology, lipid oxidation means: A chemical reaction between fats or oils and oxygen that breaks them down and produces stale, rancid flavors and smells.

In Turkish: lipit oksidasyonu, yağ oksidasyonu

How it is used

A main cause of quality loss in oils, nuts, snacks, fish and milk powder. Light, heat, oxygen and metals such as copper and iron speed it up. Labs follow it with the peroxide value and other tests. Antioxidants, nitrogen flushing, vacuum packaging and dark, cool storage slow it down.

Example sentences

  1. Lipid oxidation was the main reason the walnut snack failed the shelf-life test.

  2. Flushing the bags with nitrogen slows lipid oxidation in the potato chips.

Common collocations

  • prevent lipid oxidation
  • peroxide value
  • oxidative stability
  • oxidation products
  • rancidityThe unpleasant sharp, soapy or stale taste and smell that develops when fats and oils break down through oxidation or through the action of enzymes and water.
  • antioxidantA substance that slows down oxidation in food, helping to prevent rancidity in fats and color changes in fruits, vegetables and meat.
  • modified atmosphere packagingPackaging in which the air inside the pack is replaced with a gas mixture, usually of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and sometimes oxygen, to slow down spoilage.
  • shelf lifeThe length of time a food stays safe and keeps its expected quality when it is stored under the stated conditions.
  • vacuum packagingPackaging in which the air is removed from the pack before it is sealed, so that the film fits tightly around the product and oxygen is kept away.

More terms: Food Chemistry and Composition

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