TBARS Assay for Food and Beverages
The TBARS Assay for Food and Beverages is For Research Use Only
Size: Sufficient for 50 tests
Assay Time: 60 minutes at room temperature
Sample Type: Various food and beverage samples
Sample Size: Varies by sample type
Assay Background
Off-flavor odor development in lipids and lipid-‐containing foods is commonly attributed to the by-‐products of lipid peroxidation. Fats, oils, and other lipids react with oxygen to form peroxides, which then further decompose to give aldehydes, including malonaldehyde (MDA) and hexanal – both of which are associated with deterioration in meats.1 Factors affecting the formation of lipid peroxidation products include how the product was stored, cooked, processed, and the addition of preservatives.2
The traditional method used for detecting malonaldehyde is the 2-‐Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) assay. In this reaction, shown below in Figure 1, one molecule of malonaldehyde is condensed with two molecules of 2-‐thiobarbituric acid under heated acidic conditions to form a pink chromogen. This assay has been modified many times since its discovery in the early 1960’s and has always required heating to approximately 100°C for longer than 30 minutes with a strong acid. Heating biological samples in an acidic solution generates colors that interfere with the TBARS assay and generates artificially high MDA values.
The Malonaldehyde Quantitation Kit is the first rapid TBARS assay that does not require heating. This feature makes the test more specific for malonaldehyde by greatly reducing the interferences generated by heating. The reaction is complete in 60 minutes at room temperature, and requires no preliminary extraction or distillation.
Related Products
TBARS Fluorometric Assay Kit
TBARS ELISA Assay Kit
TBARS Cuvette Assay Kit
