What are natural and synthetic food antioxidants?

2026-09-20 16:45:51

According to their sources, Food antioxidants are usually divided into two categories.

Natural food antioxidants: extracted or prepared from animal, plant, and microbial raw materials, commonly including vitamin C/ascorbic acid, vitamin E/mixed tocopherols, tea polyphenols, rosemary extract, licorice antioxidants, bamboo leaf antioxidants, phytic acid, certain flavonoids, and anthocyanins. Part of it can be seen as "derived from food ingredients", with certain nutritional or functional attributes.

Synthetic food antioxidants: made through chemical processes, commonly used oil soluble BHA (butyl hydroxyanisole), BHT (dibutyl hydroxytoluene), TBHQ (tert butylhydroquinone), PG (propyl gallate); Partially water-soluble or auxiliary types also include ascorbic acid derivatives, partially chelating/synergists, etc.

According to the mechanism of action, regardless of the literary or martial schools, the core is to break the automatic oxidation chain of oils and fats: free radical termination type (most common for phenols), reduction oxygen consuming type (vitamin C type), metal ion chelation type (tea polyphenols, phytic acid, citric acid), singlet oxygen quenching type (some carotenoids, rosmarinols). When selecting a product, first consider whether the main concern is "oil rancidity," "pigment oxidation fading," or "metal catalyzed odor," and then discuss whether it is natural or synthetic.