Degradation Markers in Nutritional Products a Review

The main objective of the present review is to develop a brief overview of the current state of the knowledge on the analytical determination of oxidation and/or degradation parameters in nutritional products. Basically, since it is one of the major causes of food quality deterioration, and it has been a challenge for manufacturers and food scientists alike, lipid oxidation has traditionally been the most studied process throughout the history. There are many analytical methods to perform the detection of changes in food quality, focusing on the determination of the formation of oxidation products or on the changes in the standard profile of specific compounds. In addition, sensory analyses to identify oxidative changes in foods are also common. However, it is not the only parameters to measure the oxidation of food. Proteins and carbohydrates are also susceptible to oxidation; and therefore, many undesirable and/or harmful metabolites can also be found in food after this type of degradation that food industry must necessary control. The proposed summarized review will focus on both oxidation processes in order to better understand the evolution throughout the history of food control.