Antiooxidants Flashcards
Oxidation of food
What happens when food is exposed to the air
Many chemicals in the food will react with the oxygen in the air and spoil the food
What happens to Fats and Oils when exposed to the air for too long
They turn rancid
What happens to the oils with air
Air reacts with the unsaturated triglycerides, breaking then down into foul smelling molecules
In organic chemsitry oxidation results in a increase in
Oxygen to hydrogen ratio
Reduction results in what
Decrease in oxygen to hydrogen ratio
What do food go through then
They undergo oxidation reactions on exposure to oxygen
How to avoid this happening
• refrigerate food slows down oxidation reactions
•adding antioxidants
•refrigerating good slows down the oxidation reactions
Antioxidants are used for what
To prevent food compounds being oxidised when exposed to air
Antioxidants are substances that are readily oxidised, so much that?
They protect other compounds from being oxidised
Antioxidants are said to be preferentially oxidised and are
Sacrificed to protect food compounds
Vitman c is what
One of the most common antioxidants used.
Why
This is due to it being water soluble and readily oxidised
To prevent oxidation of edible fats and oils
The synthetic antioxidants BHA & BHT as well as natural antioxidant vitamin E are used as they are Soluble in fats and oils
