HYDROLYSIS

What is Hydrolysis??
 The chemical reaction during which a target molecule is
split into two with the addition of a water molecule
which is also split.
 One part of the target molecule attains the hydroxyl ion
(OH- )while the other part gets the Hydrogen (H+ ) ion.
 Hydrolysis can occur when..
 A salt of a weak acid/base is dissolved in water

CH3COONa + H2O = CH3COO-(aq) + Na+(aq)

 Generally very few reactions occur between water

and organic compounds.

 Hydrolysis can also be catalyzed by hydrolytic

enzymes like Proteases, Amylases etc or with strong
acids or bases.
 Acid-Base-Catalysed Hydrolysis

 Hydrolysis occurs when the nucleophile (water/

hydroxyl ion) attacks the carbon of the carbonyl
group of the ester or amide.

 In an aqueous base, hydroxyl ions act as better

nucleophiles than water

 In an acid, the carbon of the carbonyl group

becomes protonated leading to an easier
nucleophilic attack
Types of Hydrolysis in Food

 Hydrolysis of Polysaccharides
 Hydrolysis of Amides
 Hydrolysis of Esters
Hydrolysis of Polysaccharides
 Monosaccharides are linked to each other by
glycosidic bonds which can be hydrolysed

 Enzymes that cause such hydrolysis are

known as ‘Glycoside hydrolases’
Hydrolysis of Polysaccharides

 Hydrolysis of Starch into Maltose during

beer production
Hydrolysis of Polysaccharides

 Pectic substances in fruits and vegetables are

hydrolysed during cooking making it mushy as
the pectic and pectinic acid disperses in it

 Due to this property pectic substances are used

as gelling agents or in jellies

 Overcooking of starch results hydrolysis and

decreases its thickening power
 Eg: Cornstarch
 Hydrolysis of amides
 Hydrolysis converts amides into carboxylic acid
and ammonia or an amine
 Hydrolysis of amides
 Meat tenderizers are used in cooking to hydrolyze
peptide bonds in the meat protein

 The enzymes in meat tenderizers target the collagen in

meat making it soft
 Eg: Papaine, Bromelein, Ficin etc.
Hydrolysis of Esters

 Hydrolysis of esters splits them into

Carboxylic acid (or their salts) and alcohol

 RCOOR' + H2O ® RCOOH + R'OH

 The reaction occurs in the presence of water,

a weak acid or a base
Hydrolysis of Esters

 Hydrolysis of esters in the presence of an Acid

and a Base
Saponification

 The process of producing soap from fats

through the base hydrolysis of triglycerides
(esters of fatty acids)

 Glycerol is formed as a byproduct during

saponification
Saponification
 Rancidity
 The decomposition of oils, fats and other lipids
 These chemical reactions result in the
development of OFF FLAVORS and ODOURS in
food
 3 TYPES
 Oxidative rancidity : Double bonds of an unsaturated FA
react with oxygen
 Microbial rancidity: Microbes use their enzymes like
lipases to break down chemical structure of fats
 Hydrolytic rancidity
Hydrolytic rancidity

 Occurs when water splits fatty acid chains

away from the glycerol back bone in
glycerides
 Reaction is catalysed in the presence of
enzymes like lipases (microbes),
lipoxygenases (vegetables) and acidic
catalysts
 Hydrolytic rancidity is more significant in
animal fats than vegetable fats
 Hydrolytic rancidity
Food Hydrolysis products Flavour
Chocolates Palmitic, stearic and Oily or fatty
oleic acid
Butter and milk Butyric, Hexanoic and Sour bitter taste
Octanoic acid
Coconut oils and Palm Lauric and myristic Soapy
kernel oils acid

WHATS THAT
TASTE??!!!
 Uses of Ester Hydrolysis
Hydrolytic activity is also
used for flavor production
in milk products like •Lactic starters with
cheeses weak lipolytic enzymes
have a specificity to
short chain fatty acids
and partial glycerides

•This further hydrolysis

of monoglycerides and
diglycerides lead to the
development of flavors •Eg: Penicillium
during cheese ripening roquefortii used for
Roquefort cheese
P.camembertii
used for Camembert
cheese and Brie cheese.