KINETICS OF OXYGEN UPTAKE IN LIQUID FOODS

ABSTRACT An important consideration in the investigation of liquid food quality degradation by oxidative reactions is the kinetics of oxygen uptake. The purpose of this research was to investigate oxygen uptake rates in a liquid food during storage. A commercially prepared infant formula was used as the model system. The influence of three variables (light intensity, storage temperature and initial concentration of dissolved oxygen) on the rate of oxygen uptake was determined. Results of the study indicated that the oxygen uptake in liquid foods follows fist order rate kinetics during the first 24 hr of storage. In the range of 0–4300 lux, it was found that the rate of oxygen uptake increases linearly with increasing light intensity. The rate of oxygen uptake at three different levels of initial dissolved oxygen from 1 mg/liter to nearly saturation showed that the rate of oxygen uptake increases linearly with increasing initial dissolved oxygen concentration. The influence of temperature on rate of oxygen uptake indicated that the Arrhenius equation could be used to describe the relationship.