ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with an introductory discussion of chemical reactions that are known and well-understood in food science. Due to the complexity of molecular structures and compositions of food systems, a precise description of the kinetics of a specific reaction therefore requires a thorough research of potential reactive species at the corresponding conditions. Abundant information is available on the kinetics of biological reactions relevant to food systems; it is our hope that the generalization of these reactions and their kinetics will eventually enable readers to apply the principles to their case-specific reactions and processes. In the food industry, both biological and nonbiological catalysts are commonly used. Heterogeneous reactions are rather common in food systems due to the composition and structure of food matrices. Food systems are complex from compositional, structural and chronicle points of view. Compositionally, each food product differs in the type and concentration of chemical elements it contains.
