The kinetics of the formation of radicals in meat by high pressure processing (HPP) has been described for the first time. A threshold for the radicals to form at 400 MPa at 25 °C and at 500 MPa at 5 °C has been found. Above this threshold, an increased formation of radicals was observed with increasing pressure (400-800 MPa), temperature (5-40 °C) and time (0-60 min). The volume of activation (ΔV(#)) was found to have the value -17 ml mol(-1). The energy of activation (E(a)) was calculated to be 25-29 kJ mol(-1) within the pressure range (500-800 MPa) indicating high independence on the temperature at high pressures whereas the reaction was strongly dependent at atmospheric pressure (E(a)=181 kJ mol(-1)). According to the effect of the processing conditions on the reaction rate, three groups of increasing order of radical formation were established: (1) 55 °C at 0.1 MPa, (2) 500 and 600 MPa at 25 °C and 65 °C at 0.1 MPa, and (3) 700 MPa at 25 °C and 75 °C at 0.1 MPa. The implication of the formation of radicals as initiators of lipid oxidation under HPP is discussed.
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