Lipid Oxidation

The oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids is one of the most fundamental reactions in lipid chemistry. When unsaturated lipids are exposed to air, the complex, volatile oxidation compounds formed cause rancidity, decreasing the quality of foods containing lipids as well as foods in which oils are used as ingredients. Products of lipid oxidation have been implicated in many vital biological reactions, and there is accumulating evidence that free radicals and reactive oxygen species participate in tissue injuries and in degenerative diseases. No one is better qualified to review this subject than Edwin Frankel, and this is likely to become the standard work on the subject.