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Probably, many have heard about the benefits of antioxidants (antioxidants). Nutritionists advise including foods rich in these substances in your diet in order to reduce the risk of developing the most dangerous diseases of our time, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. But in addition to natural antioxidants found in various fruits, berries and vegetables, there is also an industrial version of these substances, which is actively used in the food industry. However, food antioxidants are not added to foods to make them healthier. On the contrary, some of them can cause irreparable damage to health.
Why Add Antioxidants to Your Food
Antioxidants in the food industry play their usual role – they prevent oxidation. In short, adding antioxidants to fats and fat-containing foods helps prevent them from going rancid. Products from fruits and vegetables under the influence of this additive do not darken, and wine, beer and most soft drinks do not oxidize.
All food antioxidants can be divided into three classes. The first are the antioxidants themselves. The second class consists of antioxidant synergists. The third group consists of the so-called complexing agents.
The action of antioxidants of the first class is most easily explained by the example of vegetable oils. If mankind had not thought of using antioxidants in the food industry, then the shelf life of oils and fats would be much shorter than we are used to. The fact is that all fatty foods contain lipids (fat cells), and those, in turn, are unsaturated fatty acids.
When these acids come into contact with air, an oxidation process is initiated, which changes the chemical composition of the product and gives it a bitter taste.
The presence of antioxidants in fat significantly slows down the oxidation process.
Synergists do not have antioxidant properties on their own, but they can enhance the effectiveness of the antioxidants contained in the product. And representatives of the third group, entering into various chemical reactions, launch antioxidant processes in the product.
Recognizing the presence of antioxidants in foods is easy if you know what indices they are indicated by. In the international system, antioxidant additives are E300 and above.
Types of food antioxidants and their effect on the body
Today, two groups of antioxidants are used in the food industry:
- natural;
- synthetic origin.
Natural antioxidants not only improve product quality, but are also beneficial to humans. Take, for example, the E300.
Few people know that the most common ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is hidden behind this “yoke”. Food supplements with indices from 306 to 309 are also very useful for people, since they are nothing more than tocopherols (vitamin E in various manifestations). In other words, the presence of these “E” in the product should not scare off buyers, which cannot be said about synthetic antioxidants. Additives from this group may have varying degrees of toxicity.
Substances labeled E310, E311 and E312 are often the cause of an allergic reaction. Even infrequent use of products with these additives can result in an unpleasant skin rash. Even more dangerous are the antioxidants E320 and E321. They have a detrimental effect on the cells of the liver and kidneys.
Examples of the use of antioxidants
Tocopherols (E306-309) dissolve well in an oily base and tolerate high temperatures well, due to which they are actively used in the production of vegetable oils. Ascorbic acid and its salts in the classification of food additives are E300-E303.
These substances help extend the shelf life of margarines and lard.
Citric acid and its salts (E330–333) are components of processed cheese, mayonnaise, margarine, confectionery and canned fish.
By the way, if we talk about natural antioxidants, then it is worth remembering the fact that many spices also have pronounced antioxidant properties. In particular, ginger, dill, fennel, red pepper, cardamom, anise, and coriander may well perform the functions of some “yesheks”. If you add a little of any of these spices to fat, its shelf life can be extended by 2-3 times.
Erythorbic (isoascorbic) acid and its salts (E315-E318) are added to minced meat products, canned food, ham, fish preserves. But there is a strict restriction on the use of these “yes”. According to the rules, more than 500 mg of these antioxidants should not be added to each kilogram of meat, and in the same amount of fish they should not exceed 1500 mg.
Propyl gallate (E310) is usually combined with animal and fish fats. This supplement is added to dry soups, powdered milk, cream mixes, cereal-based breakfast cereals.
Synthetic E319 helps extend the shelf life of cooking and vegetable fats, ghee, and E320 can be found in milk powder, salted bacon, pudding mixes and soup concentrates. But one of the most popular synthetic antioxidants is E321, which is added to a wide variety of products, from vegetable oils to candy and confectionery.
While most natural antioxidants are beneficial to humans, synthetic additives are still debatable. So, some sources call E320 and E321 carcinogens that promote malignant degeneration of cells. E334 in high doses can cause paralysis. Abuse of E340 can lead to the destruction of bone tissue.
In other words, there are good reasons to refuse to buy a product that is excessively “improved” with all sorts of “Es”, including synthetic antioxidants.