Overview

The material presented in this book deals with basic mechanisms of free radical reactions in autoxidation processes and anitoxidant suppression of autoxidation of foods, biochemical models and biologi- cal systems. Autoxidation in foods and corresponding biological effects are usually approached separately although recent mechanistic developments in the biochemistry and free radical chemistry of per- oxides and their precursors tend to bring these two fields closer. Apparent ability of antioxidants in diets to reduce the inci- dence of cancer has resulted in scrutiny of autoxidized products and their precursors as possibly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. Mechanisms of any of these effects have been barely ad- dressed. Yet we know now that free radicals, as esoteric as they were only a few decades ago, are being discovered in foods, biochem- ical and biological systems and do play a role in the above-mentioned causalities. The purpose of the Workshop and the resulting book was to give a unifying approach towards study of beneficial and deleterious effects of autoxidation, based on rigorous scientific considerations. It is our hope that the material presented in this book will not only provide a review of the "state of the art" of autoxidation and anti- oxidants, but also reflect the interaction which occurred during the Workshop between workers using model sytems, and food and biological systems.