Editing Rancidification (section)

==Food safety==
Despite concerns among the scientific community, there is little data on the health effects of rancidity or lipid oxidation in humans.<ref name="Cameron">{{cite journal | last1=Cameron-Smith | first1=David | last2=Albert | first2=Benjamin B. | last3=Cutfield | first3=Wayne S. | title=Fishing for answers: is oxidation of fish oil supplements a problem? | journal=Journal of Nutritional Science| volume=4 | pages=e36 | date=23 November 2015 | issn=2048-6790 | pmid=26688722 | pmc=4681158 | doi=10.1017/jns.2015.26 }}</ref><ref name="efsa2010">{{cite journal |author1=EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards |title=Scientific Opinion on Fish Oil for Human Consumption. Food Hygiene, including Rancidity |journal=EFSA Journal |date=2010 |volume=8 |issue=10 |page=1874 |doi=10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1874 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Animal studies show evidence of organ damage, inflammation, carcinogenesis, and advanced atherosclerosis, although typically the dose of oxidized lipids is larger than what would be consumed by humans.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=Benjamin B. |last2=Cameron-Smith |first2=David |last3=Hofman |first3=Paul L. |last4=Cutfield |first4=Wayne S. |title=Oxidation of Marine Omega-3 Supplements and Human Health |journal=BioMed Research International |doi=10.1155/2013/464921 |date=2013|volume=2013 |page=464921 |pmid=23738326 |pmc=3657456 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kanner |first1=Joseph |title=Dietary advanced lipid oxidation endproducts are risk factors to human health |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.200600303 |journal=Molecular Nutrition & Food Research |pages=1094–1101 |language=en |doi=10.1002/mnfr.200600303 |date=2007 |volume=51 |issue=9 |pmid=17854006 |archive-date=2024-02-23 |access-date=2021-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223221640/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.200600303 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Falade |first1=A. O. |last2=Oboh |first2=G. |last3=Okoh |first3=A. I. |title=Potential health lmplications of the consumption of thermally-oxidized cooking oils – a review |url=http://agro.icm.edu.pl/agro/element/bwmeta1.element.agro-ffe02af5-41ba-4dbf-99da-3dee2de79222 |journal=Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences |language=PL |doi=10.1515/pjfns-2016-0028 |date=2017 |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=95–105 |doi-access=free |archive-date=2024-07-24 |access-date=2021-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724134727/http://agro.icm.edu.pl/agro/element/bwmeta1.element.agro-ffe02af5-41ba-4dbf-99da-3dee2de79222 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Lipid peroxidation.svg|thumb|The [[Radical (chemistry)|free radical]] pathway for the first phase of the oxidative rancidification of fats.]]
[[Antioxidant]]s are often used as [[preservative]]s in fat-containing foods to delay the onset or slow the development of rancidity due to oxidation. Natural antioxidants include [[ascorbic acid]] (vitamin C) and [[tocopherol]]s (vitamin E). Synthetic antioxidants include [[butylated hydroxyanisole]] (BHA), [[butylated hydroxytoluene]] (BHT), [[TBHQ]], [[propyl gallate]] and [[ethoxyquin]]. The natural antioxidants tend to be short-lived,<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Rahmawati S, Bundjali B|title=Kinetics of the oxidation of vitamin C|journal=Prosiding Seminar Kimia Bersama UKM-ITB|volume=VIII|issue=9–11|pages=535–546|year=2009|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228484005|archive-date=2023-05-19|access-date=2017-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519033923/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228484005|url-status=live}}</ref> so synthetic antioxidants are used when a longer shelf-life is preferred. The effectiveness of water-soluble antioxidants is limited in preventing direct oxidation within fats, but is valuable in intercepting free [[Radical (chemistry)|radical]]s that travel through the aqueous parts of foods. A combination of water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidants is ideal, usually in the ratio of fat to water.

In addition, rancidification can be decreased by storing fats and oils in a cool, dark place with little exposure to oxygen or free radicals, since heat and light accelerate the rate of reaction of fats with oxygen. Antimicrobial agents can also delay or prevent rancidification by inhibiting the growth of bacteria or other micro-organisms that affect the process.<ref name="Ullmann" />
<!--seems highly tangential for an article on rancidification:
The body reduces lipid radicals with fat-soluble [[vitamin E]], reducing oxidized vitamin E with water soluble [[vitamin C]], and recycling vitamin C. The propagation reaction:
:lipid and lipid peroxyl radical and oxygen —→ lipid peroxide and lipid peroxyl radical.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1042/BST0290358 |vauthors=Young IS, McEneny J |title=Lipoprotein oxidation and atherosclerosis|journal=Biochem Soc Trans|volume=29|issue=Pt 2|pages= 358–362|year=2001|pmid=11356183|url=http://www.biochemsoctrans.org/bst/029/0358/bst0290358.htm}}</ref>

and the antioxidant reaction, act together:

:reduced antioxidant and radical —→ oxidized antioxidant and reduced radical.

giving an overall exponential reaction under oxygen, modulated by the antioxidant.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies|volume=1|issue=4|date=December 2000|pages=239–243|doi=10.1016/S1466-8564(00)00018-7|title= Occurrence and activity of natural antioxidants in herbal spirits|first=Christian|last=Imark|first2=Markus|last2=Kneubühl|first3= Stefan|last3=Bodmer}}</ref>-->

[[oxygen scavenger|Oxygen scavenging]] technology can be used to remove oxygen from [[food packaging]] and therefore prevent oxidative rancidification.