Question

what are antioxidants ?give examples why are they added to fats and oils.

Answer 1

these are the chemical substances used to preserve food items. e.g- BHT -butylated hydroxy toluene.

Answer 2

Substance or a compound which inhibits the oxidation of other substances is referred as "antioxidant". Oxidation of compounds produces reactive intermediates which are harmful. So antioxidants prevent oxidation and formation of reactive substances. These are also added to food materials containing fats and oils to prevent their oxidation. Oxidation of food materials containing fats and oils is known as rancidity, because of which they become unfit for consumption and develop bad odour. Normally, vitamin C and vitamin E are added as antioxidants. Certain complex organic molecules like BHA and BHT are also very commonly used as antioxidants.
In natural conditions, animal and plant tissues contain their own antioxidants but in foods, these natural systems break down and oxidation is bound to follow.

Antioxidants are added to food to slow the rate of oxidation and, if used properly, they can extend the shelf life of the food in which they have been used.





Oxidation of Fats
Fats and oils, or foods containing them, are the most likely to have problems with oxidation. Fats react with oxygen and even if a food has a very low fat content it may still need the addition of an antioxidant. They are commonly used in:

vegetable oil
snacks (extruded)
animal fat
meat, fish, poultry
margarine
dairy products
mayonnaise / salad dressing
baked products
potato products (instant mashed potato)


As the fat decomposes and reacts with oxygen, chemicals called peroxides are produced. These change into the substances characteristic of the smell and soapy flavour of a rancid fat.

Antioxidants prevent the formation of peroxides and so slow the process of the food 'going off'. Some antioxidants react with oxygen itself and so prevent the formation of peroxides.

Air-tight packaging, using inert gases like nitrogen, vacuum packing and refrigeration can all be used to delay the oxidation process. However, these can still be inefficient and adding antioxidants can be an effective way of extending the shelf life of a product.

student-name Anitha Student answered this
antioxidants are added to fat containing food to prevent from oxidation. u would have heard about antioxidant added oil in this type of oil ( fat content), oxidation does not takes place due to the antioxident .if u eat oxidized food surely it would spoil ur health. if ur a chips lover u would be definitely depressed wen u open the packet of chips , because there is more air than chips which actually impressed u.but the truth is the chips packet was filled with nitrogen to prevent oxidation of fats (chips are fried items ,so they obviously have oil).