Page 384 - Natural Antioxidants, Applications in Foods of Animal Origin

Control of Lipid Oxidation in Muscle Food 363
VetBooks.ir and palmitic acid which are absorbed into the bloodstream and metabolized

through the habitual routes for these two natural nutrients. It is an amphipa-
thic molecule, meaning one end is water-soluble and the other end is fat-
soluble. It is approved as food additive with the reference number E304.
Propyl, octyl, and dodecyl gallates: They are esters from the propanol,
octanol or dodecanol, respectively, with the gallic acid (3,4,5-trihydroxi-
benzoic acid). Propyl gallate (C H O ) is approved as food additive with
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5
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the reference number E310. It is obtained mainly by synthesis, although it
can be also obtained from a natural source (pods of the fruits of Caesal-
pinia spinosa). Octyl gallate (C H O ) and dodecyl gallate (C H O ) are
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15
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approved as food additives with the reference numbers E311 and E312,
respectively.
Ethoxyquin (6-ethoxy-1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline): It is a
quinoline-based antioxidant molecule (C H NO) approved as food addi-
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tive with the reference number E324. In contrast with the other synthetic
antioxidants which are widely used, ethoxyquin is only commonly used as
preservative in pet foods and in spices to prevent color loss due to oxida-
tion of the natural carotenoid pigments. It is approved as food additive in
the United States; however, it is not approved for use within the European
Union nor is it permitted for use in foods in Australia, due to speculations on
its responsibility on multiple pet health problems.
With the exception of ethoxyquin, whose particular situation was already
commented, all these synthetic antioxidants have been proved and evaluated
by both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which in turn fixed the upper limit of
addition for each concrete compound.

9.3.3 EFFICIENCY OF THE ANTIOXIDANTS

The efficiency of the antioxidants can be evaluated throughout comparative
tests, by using of so-called “antioxidant factor” (AF) (Belitz et al., 2009):
AF = I /I , were I = oxidation induction period for a determined fat or
A
0
A
oil in the presence of the considered antioxidant, and I = oxidation induc-
0
tion period for the same fat or oil without the addition of the antioxidant.
The efficiency of an antioxidant increases with the increase of the AF value.
According to the results of one of such comparative assays (Belitz et
al., 2009), comparative efficiency of the most commonly used antioxidants
when added at 0.02% concentrations in refined lard is (AF values): DL-γ-
tocopherol (12), BHA (9.5), BHT (6), octyl gallate (6), D-α-tocopherol (5),