Suppressive effect of alkyl ferulate on the oxidation of linoleic acid.

The oxidation processes of linoleic acid in the presence of ferulic acid, and 1-pentyl, 1-hexyl and 1-heptyl ferulates were observed at various temperatures and different molar ratios of each additive to linoleic acid. The processes were analyzed based on a kinetic equation of the autocatalytic type to evaluate the oxidative rate constant, k, and the kinetic parameter, Y-o, by which the initiation period for the oxidation of linoleic acid was mainly governed. The k values for linoleic acid mixed with each of the alkyl ferulates were smaller than that for linoleic acid mixed with ferulic acid. The greater suppressive effect of the alkyl ferulates would be ascribable to their higher solubility in linoleic acid. Both the activation energy, E, and the frequency factor, k(o), for the oxidation of linoleic acid mixed with ferulic acid or pentyl ferulate decreased with increasing molar ratio of the additive to linoleic acid.