Technological necessity of antioxidants in the food industry.

Antioxidants are one of the principal lines of defence in protecting quality as food or ingredients move from the farm through processing and distribution to the consumer. The urbanization of society and the resultant need to process complex, higher-quality foods have required that products survive a longer transportation time and an extended shelf-life. Consumers are also becoming more quality oriented and health conscious in their food selections. The food manufacturer, therefore, is faced with the challenge of supplying wholesome high-quality foods to the consumer. One of the major sources of change that occurs during processing, distribution and final preparation of foods is oxidation. Among the major food quality issues influenced by lipid oxidation are nutritional quality, toxicity, flavour, texture and colour. Antioxidants significantly extend the shelf-life of foods containing oxidizable lipids such as vegetable oils, animal fats, flavourings, spices, nuts, processed meats and snack products. It is important to note that oxidation and the need for antioxidants is not limited to high-fat foods, but includes cereals and other items that contain only small amounts of lipids.