Chemistry of food additives and preservatives.

Food antioxidants play an important role in the food industry due to their ability to neutralise free radicals that might be generated in the body. They do that by donating their own electrons to free radicals without becoming free radicals in the process themselves, hence terminating the radical chain reaction. The converted free radical products will then be eliminated from the body before causing any harm; in this regard, antioxidants play the role of scavengers protecting body cells and tissues. In this chapter, the processes which lead to the formation of these reactive species (free radicals) and the different additives used as antioxidants or radical scavengers to counter the effects of free radicals will be discussed. Sources of different types of antioxidants, the various mechanisms by which they work and analytical methods for determination and quality control are also examined.