Proposal of a mechanism for the inhibition of all-trans-β-carotene autoxidation at elevated temperature by N-(2-phenylethyl)-3,4-diphenylpyrrole

The rate constant for the loss of all-trans-β-carotene heated in liquid paraffin at 210 °C is reduced by a factor of 2.8 in the presence of phenylalanine. N-(2-phenylethyl)-3,4-diphenylpyrrole is the major non-volatile methanol-extractable thermal degradation product of phenylalanine formed at 210 °C and a mechanism for its inhibition of all-trans-β-carotene autoxidation is proposed.