Question

Which of the following is a food antioxidant?
A.Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
B.Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
C.Saccharin
D.Both A and B

Answer 1

Hint: Oxidation is a chemical reaction which can produce free radicals and this leads to chain reactions which can damage the cells of organisms. Antioxidants can terminate these chain reactions. So, antioxidants are said to be compounds which can inhibit or prevent oxidation.

Complete step by step answer:
Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is also known by the name dibutylhydroxytoluene. It is an organic compound which is lipophilic in nature. It is chemically a derivative of phenol. BHT is useful for its antioxidant properties. Small quantity of BHT is added in foods. Thus, it is listed as a food additive.

BHT is mainly used as an antioxidant food additive or in other words, as a food antioxidant. BHT as a food preservative helps in maintaining the freshness of the food and also prevents spoilage by decreasing the rate at which the flavor, color or texture of food changes. Thus, option A is correct.
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is also an antioxidant which comprises a mixture of 2-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole. Its major use is as a food preservative and antioxidant.
BHA is usually added to fat-containing foods because it can prevent the rancidification of food which creates objectionable odors. Just like BHT, the conjugated aromatic ring of BHA can also stabilize free radicals and prevent further chain reactions. Thus, option B is also correct.

Saccharin is an artificial sweetening agent which is about 550 times sweeter than sugar. It does not have any calorific value of food and is not biodegradable. Hence, it is used as a sweetener by diabetic patients and by those who need to control their calorie intake. Thus, option C is incorrect.

Thus, both A and B are correct and so the correct option is D.

Note:
Uric acid is a bioactive antioxidant which is found in the highest concentration in human blood. The urate oxidase enzyme which is responsible for the oxidation of uric acid to allantoin is non-functional in humans and so uric acid is not further broken down.
The thiol group in the cysteine moiety of glutathione is a reducing agent. Glutathione maintains the cell’s redox state and also it has high concentration, due to which it is one of the most important cellular antioxidants.