Folic Acid Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Folic Acid, including details on folate, deficiency, pregnancy, benefits, sources, side-effects.

Implications of beta-mercaptoethanol in relation to folate stability and to determination of folate degradation kinetics during processing: a case study on [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid.

Indrawati I, Verlinde P, Ottoy F, Van Loey A, Hendrickx M

Faculty of Applied Bioscience and Engineering, Department of Food and Microbial Technology, Laboratory of Food Technology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 22, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.

The effect of beta-mercaptoethanol (0-2%) addition to thermally and/or pressure-treated samples on [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate was studied. Degradation of [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate during both thermal and pressure treatments was mainly caused by oxidation, and the oxidized folates could be partly/completely reduced by beta-mercaptoethanol. The addition of beta-mercaptoethanol (2%) to the thermally and pressure-treated samples overestimated the "actual" stability of [6S]-5-methyltetrahydrofolate and misled the obtained kinetic information.

Published 22 December 2004 in J Agric Food Chem, 52(26): 8247-54.
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