Radiation Chemistry of Foods

Abstract

An intermediate radical, ĊH2OH, was produced in aqueous methanol solution containing nitrous oxide by γ-irradiation. Yields of ethylene glycol and formaldehyde, the major and the minor product from ĊH2OH, respectively, changed on the addition of some solutes. Cysteine lowered the both product yields to zero even at a low concentration of 5 × 10−5m. Oxygen of low concentrations (2.5~7.5 × 10−5 m) changed effectively the major product from ethylene glycol to formaldehyde. k (CySH+ĊH2OH)/k(O2+ĊH2OH) was calculated as 0.5.Ascorbic acid (5 × 10−5 m) lowered ethylene glycol yield to 48%, cystine (10−3m) to 15%, methionine (10−3m) to 31%, histidine (10−3m) to 42%, tryptophan (10−3m) 46%, tyrosine (10−3m) to 77%, phenylalanine (10−3m) to 73%, hypoxanthine (10−3m) to 37%, adenine (10−3m) to 52%, uracil (10−3m) to 20%, thymine (10−3m) to 10%, cytosine (10−3 m) to 49%, rutin (10−3m) to 23%, pyrogallol (10−3m) to 41%, and gallic acid (10−3m) to 78% of the control. These results suggest that the reactions of the secon...