Eric A Decker

University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst · Department of Food Science

Tocopherol (α‐TOC) and myricetin (MYR) synergistically inhibit lipid oxidation in bulk oil but the mechanism underlying this effect is unknown. In this research, stripped soybean oil (SSO) was treated with α‐tocopherol (50 μM), myricetin (10–250 μM), and their combinations. Taxifolin (TAX) was also tested because it has structural similarities to m...

The fatty acid compositions and tocochromanol concentrations (α-, γ + β-, δ-tocopherol and δ-tocotrienol) of oil extracted from euryhaline microalgal strains (Spirulina subsalsa (Spi A), Scenedesmus MKB (Scnd) and Spirulina sp. (Spi B)) were analyzed. The oxidative stability of microalgae-based oil-in-water emulsions at pH 7 was also determined by...

Accurately describing the degradation of food antioxidants in oil emulsions, bulk oils, and other foods is essential to understanding and controlling the factors that influence emulsion stability, such as antioxidant concentration. Here, we used a machine learning approach to discover a parsimonious differential equation that describes how myriceti...

The antioxidant interactions between α-tocopherol and myricetin in stripped soybean oil-in-water emulsions at pH 4.0 and pH 7.0 were analyzed. At pH 7.0, α-tocopherol (α-TOC):myricetin (MYR) ratios of 2:1 and 1:1 yielded interaction indices of 3.00 and 3.63 for lipid hydroperoxides and 2.44 and 3.00 for hexanal formation, indicating synergism. Myri...

Human and animal studies support that consuming a high level of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2ω-6), an essential fatty acid and key component of the human diet, increases the risk of colon cancer. However, results from human studies have been inconsistent, making it challenging to establish dietary recommendations for optimal LA intake. Given the importan...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a common additive in foods, medicines, and personal care products. In recent years, nano-scale particles in TiO2 additives have been an increasing concern due to their potential adverse effects on human health, especially gut health. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of titanium dioxide nanoparticles...

Background: Unsaturated lipids undergo radical-initiated oxidative deterioration during lipid oxidation, which is one of the most significant food quality and waste issues. Lipid oxidation results in off-flavors, toxic aldehydes, and the co-oxidation of proteins and color compounds. Various antioxidant strategies are utilized by the food industry t...

In this study, oxidatively stable minimal neutralized sunflower seed oils were produced using three chemicals (Ca(OH)2, MgO, and Na2SiO3) under previously determined optimal process conditions. Lipid oxidation rates at these optimum conditions were compared to the oils neutralized with NaOH (0.20%, 40°C, 15 min). It was concluded that the oils neut...

Plant lipids are stored as emulsified lipid droplets also called lipid bodies, spherosomes, oleosomes or oil bodies. Oil bodies are found in many seeds such as cereals, legumes, or in microorganisms such as microalgae, bacteria or yeast. Oil Bodies are unique subcellular organelles with sizes ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 μm and are made of a triacylglyc...

Lipid oxidation is a major pathway for the chemical deterioration of low-moisture foods. Little is known about how the physical properties of the fat used in crackers impact lipid oxidation kinetics. Fully hydrogenated soybean fat + interesterified soybean oil, fully hydrogenated soybean fat + sunflower oil, fully hydrogenated soybean oil, and soyb...

Industry attempts to meet consumers' clean label demands by removing synthetic antioxidants (e.g. EDTA) frequently result in deleterious effects on oil quality, causing the formation of toxic oxidation derivatives as well as off-flavors and aromas. Thus, there is an urgent need for novel and natural antioxidant systems. For example, after becoming...

Oxidized α-tocopherol can be regenerated by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), but current commercial sources of PE are too expensive for use as a food additive. The present study aims to determine the optimal reaction conditions for generating high PE lecithin (MHPEL) enzymatically and to validate the MHPEL's synergism with tocopherol in delaying lipi...

Lipid oxidation is a major cause of quality deterioration in food or cosmetic products. In these matrices, lipids are often present in a bulk or in emulsified forms. In both systems, the rate, extent and pathway of oxidation are highly dependent on the presence of colloidal structures and interfaces because these are the locations where oxidation...

Lipid oxidation is a complex process in muscle-based foods (red meat, poultry and fish) causing severe quality deterioration, e.g., off-odors, discoloration, texture defects and nutritional loss. The complexity of muscle tissue -both composition and structure- poses as a formidable challenge in directly clarifying the mechanisms of lipid oxidation...

https://www.ifis.org/blog/food-lipid-oxidation-and-health. This scientific blog post published by IFIS discusses the factors that influence lipid oxidation, the major consequences of oxidation reactions, the effects of lipid oxidation on biological tissues, potentially harmful lipid oxidation products, and strategies for avoiding oxidized lipid tox...

Lipid oxidation is a major cause of quality deterioration in food products. in these foods, lipids are often present in a bulk or in emulsified forms. in both systems, the rate, extent and pathway of oxidation are highly dependent on the presence of colloidal structures and interfaces because these are the locations where oxidation normally occurs....

Background: Emerging human studies support that a high intake of linoleic acid (LA), which is an essential fatty acid and the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in human diet, is associated with increased risks of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As a PUFA, LA is highly prone to oxidation; to date, it remains unknown whethe...

This study demonstrated the combination of black pepper and vegetable oil-based emulsion synergistically enhanced carotenoid bioavailability of raw vegetables in humans. In a randomized crossover design, healthy young adults consumed (1) vegetable salad (control), (2) salad with canola oil emulsion (COE), (3) salad with black pepper (BP), and (4) s...

Redox stress is a common feature of gut disorders such as colonic inflammation (inflammatory bowel disease or IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). This leads to increased colonic formation of lipid-derived electrophiles (LDEs) such as 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), malondialdehyde (MDA), trans, trans-2,4-decadienal (tt-DDE), and epoxyketooctadecenoic acid...

Deep fried foods are popular among consumers due to their unique taste and texture. During the process of deep-frying, oil is subjected to a high temperature that results into the generation of harmful compounds. The repeated usage of frying oil is a common exercise and associated with various health hazards. Thus, determination of frying oil quali...

As consumers increasingly demand "cleaner" labels, one available strategy is diluting oils high in unsaturated fatty acids into more stable, more saturated oils, thus delaying lipid oxidation by decreasing free-radical propagation reactions between oxidized fatty acids and unsaturated lipids. The effect of diluting fish oil into medium-chain trigly...

Background Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has been deployed in the analysis of food at solid and aqueous states. However, its capability has not been fully explored in headspace profiling. Objective To develop an innovative SERS method for analyzing headspace volatile compounds in foods. Methods A volatile-capture device was developed b...

The food industry is exploring the natural environment to identify botanical extracts that can be used as functional ingredients that can replace synthetic ones in foods. In the present study, the ability of black rice anthocyanins as natural antioxidants to inhibit both lipid and protein oxidation in protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions was e...

Pea protein isolate-high methoxyl pectin-rhamnolipid (PPI-HMP-Rha) complexes were fabricated to co-encapsulate curcumin and resveratrol, and the effect of rhamnolipid level on the physiochemical properties of PPI-HMP-Rha complexes with encapsulated curcumin and resveratrol (PPI-Cur-HMP-Res-Rha) was evaluated. The particle size and encapsulation eff...

In this study, lipid oxidation evaluation methods were compared for a krill-oil-in-water emulsion system. With this aim, thiocyanate and DPPP (diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine) fluorescence methods were comparatively examined to determine primary oxidation products. 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), hexanal and propanal formation were a...

To provide further insight into the antioxidant potential of procyanidins (PCs) from cocoa beans, PC extract was fractionated by several methodologies, including solid phase extraction, Sephadex LH-20 gel permeation, and preparative HPLC using C18 and diol stationary phases. All the isolated fractions were analyzed by UHPLC-QTOF-MS to determine the...

In this study, we investigated the tailoring of food emulsions using interactions between rice bran cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and lauric arginate (LAE), which is food-grade cationic surfactant. Complexes of anionic CNCs and cationic LAE (CNCs/LAE) were formed through electrostatic attraction which were characterized using isothermal titration c...

Considering the increasing interest in the incorporation of natural antioxidants in enriched foods, this work aimed to establish a food-grade and suitable procedure for the recovery of polyphenols from cocoa beans avoiding the degreasing process. The results showed that ultrasound for 30 min with particle sample size < 0.18 mm changed the microstru...

Substantial studies have shown that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have various health-promoting effects, however, there are inconsistent results from animal studies which showed that ω-3 PUFAs have no effects or even detrimental effects. Emerging research suggests that oxidized ω-3 PUFAs have different effects compared with un-oxidized ω-...

Flow cytometry was used to determine if lipid oxidation products could transfer between individual emulsion droplets. Medium chain triacyclglycerol oil-in-water emulsions containing an oxidizable fluorescent dye, BODIPY665/676, was blended with a soybean oil-in-water emulsion. Results showed that when the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfonate (...

Despite several published studies, the impact of emulsion droplet size on lipid oxidation rates is unclear. This could be because oil-in-water emulsions are typically polydisperse and the oxidation rate of individual droplets is difficult to discern. Flow cytometry is a technique for studying individual cells and their subpopulations using fluoresc...

Understanding lipid oxidation mechanisms in low moisture foods is necessary to develop antioxidant strategies to increase shelf life and/or to improve nutritional quality by increasing polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations. In this study, we examined the influence of water activity (aw), sugars (glucose, maltose, maltodextrin, and cyclodextrin)...

Peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids leads to the formation of a large array of lipid-derived electrophiles (LDEs), many of which are important signaling molecules involved in the pathogenesis of human diseases. Previous research has shown that one of such LDEs, trans, trans-2,4-decadienal (tt-DDE), increases inflammation, however, the under...

Frying in vegetable oil is a popular cooking and food processing method worldwide; as a result, the oils used for frying are widely consumed by the general public and it is of practical importance to better understand their health impacts. To date, the effects of frying oil consumption on human health are inconclusive, making it difficult to establ...

Retention of labile vitamins such as thiamine (vitamin B1) in NASA spaceflight foods intended for extended-duration missions is critical for the health of the crew. In this study, the degradation kinetics of thiamine in three NASA spaceflight foods (brown rice, split pea soup, BBQ beef brisket) during storage was determined for the first time, usin...

The development of a method for multi-phase detection of antioxidants using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-coated fiber as a substrate is described. The AuNP-coated fiber was directly inserted into a multi-phase system containing model analytes of ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, and α-tocopherol, repre...

Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) have been shown to increase the antioxidant activity of α-tocopherol. This study investigated the ability of PE or PS to increase the antioxidant activity of different tocopherols homologs in bulk oil. In addition, the ability of a phospholipase D modified lecithin (high in PE) to increase t...

The interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with proteins in their surroundings is a key factor determining their biological fate. The formation of a protein corona around ingested NPs in complex food matrices and in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is known to impact their gastrointestinal fate. In this study, the interaction between titanium dioxide (...

Liposomes containing theobromine, caffeine, catechin, epicatechin, and a cocoa extract were fabricated using microfluidization and sonication. A high encapsulation efficiency and good physicochemical stability were obtained by sonication (75% amplitude, 7 min). Liposomes produced at pH 5.0 had mean particle diameter ranging from 73.9 to 84.3 nm. Th...

The Need for a New Step in the Study of Lipid Oxidation in Heterophasic Systems

In this study, the interfacial composition of protein-stabilized emulsions was manipulated by adding a small molecule surfactant to induce displacement of the adsorbed protein. The rate and extent of lipid and protein oxidation was then measured for emulsions with different interfacial compositions. Lipid and protein co-oxidation were studied in wa...

As people age they are at a greater risk for many disorders including cardiovascular, renal, and neurodegenerative diseases, and these conditions are exacerbated by diabetes. An important cause of the maladies associated with both age and diabetes is the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGE formation is initiated by glycation re...

Hydroperoxides (LOOH) measurement is a common technique to determine the degree of oxidation of oils and fats. Although it appears to have some limitations (time consuming, and uses of toxic solvents as chloroform), the iodometric titration is one of the most common methods. Herein, an alternative method by measuring the oxidation level using Fouri...

The impact of interfacial composition on lipid and protein co-oxidation in oil-in-water emulsions containing a mixture of proteins and surfactants was investigated. The emulsions consisted of 5% v/v walnut oil, 0.5% w/v whey protein isolate (WPI), and 0 to 0.4% w/v Tween 20 (pH 3 and 7). The protein surface load, magnitude of the ξ-potential, and m...

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of cocoa polyphenols and procyanidins with different degrees of polymerization to be encapsulated in a liposome delivery system and inhibit lipid oxidation at pH 3.0 and 5.0. In general, liposomes at pH 3.0 and 5.0 were physically stable in the presence of polyphenols and procyanidins with mean partic...

Phospholipids have been shown to act synergistically with tocopherols and delay lipid oxidation in bulk oil. The synergistic activity between phospholipids and tocopherols is due to the ability of amino-group-containing phospholipids (e.g., phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS)) to convert oxidized tocopherol back into tocophero...

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of high-intensity ultrasound treatment (sonication) on the molecular, physicochemical, and functional properties of walnut protein isolate. Aqueous walnut protein suspensions were sonicated at varying power levels (200, 400 or 600 W) and times (15 or 30 min), and then any alternations in pro...

The impact of commercial oxygen scavenging packaging on lipid oxidation in fish oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and vitamin degradation was determined. Oxygen scavenging packaging effectively reduced dissolved oxygen concentration in buffer (pH 3, 5, and7) by >95% as measured by an oxygen fluorometer over 3 days at 32 °C. Lipid oxidation in emulsions,...

Background: Vegetable proteins are increasingly used to stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. However, emulsions are thermodynamically unstable. Recently, high-intensity ultrasound (US) has been used to enhance the stability of emulsions. For these reasons, and considering almond (Prunus dulcis L.) is a good source of high quality proteins, the...

There has been strong interest in developing effective strategies to inhibit lipid oxidation in emulsified food products due to the need to incorporate oxidatively labile bioactive lipids, such as w-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids, or carotenoids. Emulsifiers or co-emulsifiers can be utilized to inhibit lipid oxidation in emulsions. Both o...

Color additives are applied to many food, drug, and cosmetic products. With up to 85% of consumer buying decisions potentially influenced by color, appropriate application of color additives and their safety is critical. Color additives are defined by the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) as any dye, pigment, or substance that ca...

Regardless of the applications: therapeutic vehicle or membrane model to mimic complex biological systems; it is of a great importance to develop simplified, reproducible and rapid model assays allowing for a relevant assessment of the liposomal membrane oxidation and therefore antioxidant activity of selected molecules. Here, we describe a new and...

The impact of emulsifier type (quillaja saponin, Tween 80, whey protein and casein) and antioxidant type (EDTA, ascorbic acid, catechin, alpha tocopherol, ascorbic acid palmitate) on the physical and chemical stability of lutein-fortified emulsions was investigated. Quillaja saponin produced emulsions with the best overall stability to droplet aggr...

Practical application: Although diet can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, American consumers continue to eat detrimental diets high in fat and sodium. Products need to be made that decrease fat and sodium intake while still delivering acceptable taste. Mushroom substitution into meat-based products can be a strategy to develop produ...

This chapter discusses expectations within the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) approved food science programs and shares academic strategies that some universities are including within their programs to broaden student's exposure to the food industry. It employs preparation for a career in product development as an example of the educational...

The addition of antioxidants is one of the strategies to inhibit lipid oxidation, a major cause of lipid deterioration in foods leading to rancidity development and nutritional losses. However, several studies have been reported that conventional antioxidant assays e.g. TPC, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC could not predict antioxidant performance in several...

Many sectors of the food industry are interested in replacing synthetic or animal-based ingredients with plant-based alternatives to create products that are more natural, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. In this study, the ability of several plant protein concentrates to act as natural emulsifiers in oil-in-water emulsions fortified with...

There is great interest in the formulation of plant-based foods enriched with nutrients that promote health, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study evaluated the impact of sunflower phospholipid type on the formation and stability of flaxseed oil-in-water emulsions. Two sunflower lecithins (Sunlipon 50 and 90) with different phosphatidylcho...

ε-Polylysine (ε-PL) is a potent cationic antimicrobial, but its application as a food additive is currently limited because it tends to precipitate with anionic species in food matrices. Previous research showed that the formation of an electrostatic complex between cationic ε-PL and anionic pectin (P) improved the physical stability of ε-PL, while...

Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems are particularly effective tools for incorporating omega-3 polyunsaturated lipids into many foods and beverages. In this study, the impact of carrier oil type and concentration on the formation and stability of fish oil-in-water nanoemulsions was determined. Three carrier oils with different physicochemical and s...

Factors influencing the formation and properties of lutein-loaded nanoemulsions fabricated using spontaneous emulsification (SE) were investigated. Nanoemulsion formation depended on oil type: small droplets (diameter ≈ 200 nm) with a narrow monomodal particle size distribution (polydispersity index ≈ 0.23) could be formed using medium-chain trigly...

Rising consumer demand for food products made with natural and plant-based ingredients has led to a search for natural alternatives to synthetic food ingredients. The present study compared the ability of two natural small molecule surfactants – quillaja saponin (0.5–2.5%) and soy lecithin (1–5%) – to stabilize 10% oil-in-water emulsions. Emulsion...

Functional foods are being fortified with bioactive lipids to improve human health. The formulation of these products from plant-based ingredients, rather than synthetic or animal-based ones, is often preferred by consumers. However, there is concern that encapsulation of bioactive lipids using plant-based ingredients may decrease their oral bioava...

Essentially all fat-containing foods have the potential to undergo lipid oxidation even where unsaturated fatty acid compositions are low. Therefore, consumption of lipid oxidation products is potentially common with risk of consuming lipid oxidation products increasing in foods with high amounts of unsaturation (e.g. foods with omega-3 fatty acids...

The impact of 0, 40, 58, 79, 93, and 98% total oxygen reduction on lipid oxidation kinetics in a 1.0% fish oil‐in‐water emulsion (pH 3.0; 32°C) was determined. Atmospheres were modified using nitrogen/oxygen gas blends or high purity nitrogen. Headspace and dissolved oxygen were monitored throughout the study using a non‐destructive technique in wh...

The ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are among the most popular dietary supplements in the US, but they are chemically unstable and highly prone to lipid peroxidation. Many studies performed in different countries demonstrate that the majority of ω-3 PUFA products on the market are oxidized, suggesting that the resulting ω-3 PUFA peroxidatio...

Lipid oxidation is one of the major causes of oil deterioration causing off-flavors and consumer rejection. Fast, easy, and dependable assays for predicting lipid oxidation rates in foods are important for shelf-life prediction. In this study, an electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin-trapping technique with N-tert-butyl-α-phenylnitrone (PBN) w...

Chemically unstable lipophilic bioactives, such as polyunsaturated lipids, often have to be encapsulated in emulsion-based delivery systems before they can be incorporated into foods, supplements, and pharmaceuticals. The objective of this study was to develop highly concentrated emulsion-based fish oil delivery systems using natural emulsifiers. F...

The chemical instability of β-carotene limits its utilization as a nutraceutical ingredient in foods. In this research, the effect of continuous phase alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA) and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on β-carotene degradation in medium chain triacylglycerol (MCT)- and corn oil-in-water emulsions was examined. EGCG significantly in...

Identifying sodium reduction strategies in processed foods remains a critical need toward improving public health. In this work, sodium absorption in potatoes was studied using sodium chloride osmotic solutions. The specific aims of this study were to quantify the diffusion of sodium into a potato sample and change process variables to determine ho...

The susceptibility of omega-3 fatty acids to oxidation in foods can often be retarded using well-designed colloidal delivery systems. In this study, the ability of a natural antioxidant (casein) to inhibit the oxidation of flaxseed oil in oil-in-water nanoemulsions and filled hydrogel beads (microgels) was investigated. Nanoemulsions (D43 = 0.31 μm...

Krill oil is a unique source of omega-3 fatty acids since it is a mixture of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Due to the presence of phospholipids, it can form oil-in-water emulsions without additional food additives. In this work, the physical stability of krill oil-in-water emulsions was determined at various pH values (3-7) and NaCl concentra...

Antioxidant regeneration, one of the well-known mechanisms, could be influenced by various factors such as locations of antioxidants and environmental pH conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of environmental pH on the antioxidant interaction between rosmarinic acid and α-tocopherol in O/W emulsions. Results showed that the combin...

Oxidative instability of food, pharmaceutical, and consumer products can be promoted by trace metals, especially iron and copper, with subsequent propagation of free radicals. Plant-derived phenolic compounds that contain catechols are reported to have free radical scavenging, metal chelating and surface adhesion properties upon polymerization. The...

Oxidation causes lipid rancidity, discoloration, and nutrient degradation that decrease shelf life of packaged foods. Synthetic additives are effective oxidation inhibitors, but are undesirable to consumers who prefer ‘clean’ label products. The aim of this study was to improve oxidative stability of emulsified foods by a novel nonmigratory polyphe...

The influence of particle size and optical properties on the stability of fish oil-in-water emulsions to riboflavin-induced oxidation by blending different combinations of small (d = 44 nm) and large (d = 216 nm) lipid droplets was examined. Emulsion turbidity increased with increasing mean droplet diameter due to greater light scattering by larger...

The introduction of metal-chelating ligands to the food-contact surface of packaging materials may enable the removal of synthetic chelators (e.g., ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA)) from food products. In this study, the metal-chelating ligand iminodiacetate (IDA) was covalently grafted onto polypropylene surfaces to produce metal-chelating...

Previous studies have shown that tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a widely used food antioxidant, has cytotoxic effects at high doses; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we found that the effects of TBHQ on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis are mainly mediated by its oxidative conversion to a quin...

Many packaged foods utilize synthetic chelators (e.g. ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA) to inhibit iron-promoted oxidation or microbial growth which would result in quality loss. To address consumer demands for all natural products, we have previously developed a non-migratory iron chelating active packaging material by covalent immobilization...

The impact of natural hydrophilic antioxidants, metal chelators, and hydrophilic antioxidant/metal chelator mixture on the oxidative stability of base algae oil and water-in-algae oil emulsion was investigated. The results showed that green tea extract and ascorbic acid had greatest protective effect against algae oil oxidation and generated four d...

Substantial human and pre‐clinical studies have shown that curcumin, a dietary compound from turmeric, has beneficial effects on many human diseases. However, curcumin rapidly degrades at physiological pH, making it difficult to interpret the biological activities of curcumin and develop curcumin‐based therapeutics. Here we show that a series of re...