Abstract: Natural pigments in lipid foods are usually potential photosensitizers which can excite and convert triplet oxygen into singlet oxygen (1O2) by the Type II pathway of photooxidation. 1O2 is an electrophilic, non-radical excited oxygen molecule, which has the characteristics of low activation energy and high reactivity. It can quickly initiate the oxidation of lipids and ultimately lead to their oxidative deterioration. In this article, the latest research results in this field in China and abroad are reviewed. The formation pathways of 1O2 in lipid foods, the photooxidation mechanism, and the photooxidation of common lipids such as triglycerides and phytosterols are elaborated. The latest progress in the control of photooxidation of lipids in foods is summarized in terms of the removal and control of photosensitizers and triplet oxygen, quenching of singlet oxygen, and selection of light sources. We hope that this review can provide the theoretical basis for further studies of lipid photooxidation and its inhibition in foods.

Key words: singlet oxygen; photosensitive oxidation; control methods; lipids; foods