PRESERVATIVES!!preservatives!!

Generally,all food products have preservatives nowadays. Every manufacturer adds preservatives to their products. Preservative can be categorized as antimicrobial preservative or antioxidant preservative. Antioxidant(oxygen absorbers) to prevent oxidation of food. Many kinds of antioxidant: calcium propionate,sodium nitrate,sodium nitrites, sulfites and etc. Antioxidants also includes BHA and BHT.

BHA and BHT

What is that???

BHA is known as Butylated hydroxyanisole;BHT is known as butylated hydroxytoluene.Both are phenolic compounds which is added to foods to preserve fats.

Characteristics for Butylated hydroxyaniosle

BHA is a mixture of the isomers 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 2-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole. Others name such as BOA, tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, (1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methoxyphenol, tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, antioxyne B, and etc. The chemical formula for BHA is C11H16O2. It is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is a white or yellowish waxy solid and has an aromatic odor.It melts at45°C to 63°C and has a boiling point of 264°C to 270°C. BHA is flammable too. It is insoluble in water and freely soluble in alcohol (ethanol, otheralcohols, propylene glycol) , petroleum ether, and fats and oils.However,it can be easily denatured by heat. When BHA enconters with heat, it will emit acid and irritating fumes.

Characteristics for Butylated hydroxytoluene

BHT is known as 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene; methyl-di-tert-butylphenol; 2,6-di-tert-butyl-para-cresol.The chemical formula is C15H24O and composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is white powder.

How to act as preservative???

The oxygen will react with the BHA or BHT and do not oxidize the fats or oils. Therefore, it protects them from spoilage. In addition,both antioxidants are fat-soluble. They are incompatible with ferric salts. They are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. They look like multifunctional. Do you agree?

Normally, BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It can be used as a yeast de-foaming agent. The products such as butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer contains BHA. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.
However,BHT is similar with BHA because it is also used to prevent oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor.There are many packaging materials incorporate with BHT. It is added to the cereals and other foods that contains fats and oils.

Conclusion, preservatives play important roles in our daily life..Example:The BHA and BHT..