Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals that help counter the damaging effects of free radicals. They are found in many fruits and vegetables. Eating a diet high in antioxidants from plant foods helps protect cells from damage and may reduce the risk of diseases. Some key antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, lutein, and anthocyanins. Both natural and synthetic antioxidants are used as food preservatives.

1. ANTIOXIDAN
TS
Presented By
Shalvi Soni
M.Sc. Food science $
nutrition
Banasthali University
Rajasthan

2. The Facts on antioxidants
 Antioxidants in foods are important for our
health and eating five to seven serves each
day of fresh fruit and vegetables has been
show to help protect against heart disease,
cancers, and other disease.
 Eating a large amount of fresh fruits and
vegetables is the best source of antioxidants.

3. What are antioxidants
 Antioxidants are naturally occurring chemicals
in foods that help to counter the detrimental
effects of oxygen free radicals , which form
during normal metabolism and through
external factors such as x-rays , ultra-violet
radiation and pollution.
 Antioxidants are phytochemicals , vitamins
and nutrients that protect our cells from
damage caused by free radicals.

4.  Antioxidants can be found in most fruits and
vegetables.
 Antioxidants are capable of stabilizing or
deactivating, free radicals before they attack
cells.
 Antioxidants are absolutely critical for
maintaining optimal cellular and systemic
health and well-being.

5. What are free radicals
 In a human body the process of oxidation
damages all cell membranes and other
structures including cellular protein, lipids and
DNA. When oxygen is metabolized it creats
‘free radicals’.
 Free radicals are capable to attacking the
healthy cells of the body, causing them to lose
their structure and function.

6.  The body can cope with some free radicals
and needs them to function effectively.
However, an over load of free radicals as been
linked to certain diseases, including heart
disease, liver disease and some cancers.
 Oxidation can be accelerated by stress,
cigarette smoking, alcohol, sunlight pollution
and other factors.

7. The effect of free radicals
 Deterioration of eye lens, which contribute to
blindness.
 Inflammation of joints (arthritis).
 Damage to nerve cells in the brain, which
contributes to condition such as Parkinson’s or
Alzheimer’s disease.
 Acceleration of the ageing process.
 Increased risk of coronary heart disease, since
free radicals encourage low density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol to adhere to artery walls.
 Certain cancers, triggered by damaged cell
DNA.

8. Types of antioxidants
Nutrient (Natural) Non-nutrient
 β- carotene- Provitamin A,  Carotenoids
 Ascorbic acid-Vitamin C (Lycopene,
 Tocopherols Xanthophylis)
 Sulphar amino acids:  Lutein, α-and γ-
Cysteine carotenes
 Selenium (zeaxanthine)
 Zinc  Anthocyanins

9. Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene
 Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene are structurally
similar and they both function as antioxidant
nutrients.
 All vitamin A comes from the fatty tissues of
animals whereas beta-carotene is found
exclusively in plant foods with brightly colored (red
and yellow) fruits and vegetables being the best
sources.
 Vitamin A was the first-soluble vitamin to be
recognized.

10. It helps to :-
 Improving immunity
 healthy eyes, soft and supple skin, stronger
bones and teeth
 Preventing calcification/kidney stones,
muscular weakness, acne and certain forms of
cancer
 Helping in the repair and replacement of old
tissues
 Delays ageing
 Lowers cholesterol

11. Ascorbic acid-Vitamin C
 Vitamin certainly leads the list as one of the
most important antioxidant nutrients.
 Because it is water soluble, it can enter into
and protect every cell in the human body.
 It is synthesized in the liver by most animals,
but not by man who depends on dietary
sources for adequate supply.

12. It helps in :-
 Protecting skin from UV damage
 Providing resistance to infection
 Promoting iron absorption from food, maintains
healthy collagen and controls blood
cholesterol
 Increasing sperm counts esp. in smokers

13. Tocopherols- Vitamin E
 Vitamin E is primary fat-soluble antioxidant
nutrient.
 Vitamin E resides in fatty tissues, especially
cell walls and membranes.
 It helps to protect the stability and integrity of
cellular tissues membranes throughout the
body by preventing free radical (lipid
peroxidation) damage.

14. It helps in :-
 Improving skin conditions
 Improving appearance of scars
 Protecting the body’s membrane
 Maintaining healthy blood vessels
 thinning blood in body

15. Sulphar amino acids
 Cysteine- It is a semi-essential amino acid,
which means that it can be biosynthesized in
humans.
 It can usually be synthesized by the human
body under normal physiological conditions if a
sufficient quantity of methioine is available.
 It contains sulfur, which is said to work as an
antioxidant, protecting the preserving the cells
in the body.

16. It helps in :-
 Protects the body against free radicals
 May help to reverse damage done by smoking
and alcohol abuse
 Produces white blood cells which boosts immune
system function.
 Reduces the effects of aging on the body because
of its detoxification properties.
 Helps the body absorb iron (ladies).
 Removes heavy metals like lead and mercury by
assisting and boosting the liver function.

17. Selenium
 It is a trace element. It is a mineral that we
need to consume in only very small quantities,
but without which we could not survive.
 It forms the active site of several antioxidant
enzymes including glutathione peroxidase,
which is one of the most important antioxidant
enzyme in our antioxidant system.

18. It helps in :-
 Maintaining healthy hair, skin as well as eyes
 Promoting normal liver functions
 Increasing male potency
 Reducing the risk of heart disease as well as
cancer
 Improving mental fatigue and anxiety

19. Zinc
 Zinc is a trace mineral that your body uses in
small amounts. You need it for normal growth
and healthy immune system function, as zinc
is involved in protein production, DNA
synthesis and cell division.
 It's also necessary for hundreds
of enzymes to function in many different
chemical reactions in the body, and is also
crucial for a normal sense of smell and taste.

20. It helps in :-
 Strengthening the immune system
 Improving stress levels
 Preventing and shortening the duration of cold
 Reducing appearance of acne
 Providing antimicrobial action in the Gastro-
intestinal tract

21. Carotenoids
 Nature’s widespread pigments
 biosynthesis by ocean algae
 masked by dominant chlorophyll
 precursors of vitamin A
 All green vegetables contain carotenoids but
their color is masked by the green chlorophylls
 All carotenoids are lipophilic compounds and
thus are soluble in oils and organic solvents

22. Lutein
 Lutein is a yellow-to-orange pigment or phytochemical found
mostly in plants.

 It works as an antioxidant in your body to reduce the damage
done by free radicals.
 Lutein is a carotenoid and is related to vitamin A.
 Other carotenoids include beta carotene, alpha carotene.
 Lutein is concentrated in the retinas of your eyes, so it's a
necessary component of normal vision.
 Eating a diet with lots of colorful fruits and vegetables that
contain lutein may also decrease your risk of cardiovascular
disease.

23. Anthocyanins
 Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments
that may appear red, purple, or blue depending on
the pH.
 They belong to a parent class of molecules
called flavonoids.
 Anthocyanins occur in all tissues of higher plants,
including leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruits.
 In photosynthetic tissues (such as leaves and
sometimes stems), anthocyanins have been shown to
act as a "sunscreen", protecting cells from high-light
damage by absorbing blue-green and UV light.

24. Sources of AntiOxidants
 Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, walnuts,
peanuts, almonds, seeds, olives, wheat germ,
liver, and leafy green vegetables.
 For good sources of vitamin C, look to citrus
fruits (like oranges and grapefruit), broccoli,
leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers,
potatoes, cantaloupe, and strawberries.
 Common sources of beta-carotene include
cantaloupe, mangoes, papaya, pumpkin,
peppers, spinach, kale, carrot, squash, sweet
potatoes, and apricots.

25.  selenium in seafood,
beef, pork, Brazil nuts,
brown rice, and whole
wheat bread.
 Zinc - seafood, lean meat,
milk and nuts.

26. Phytochemical Food source
 Carotenoids (e.g., lycopene,  Tomatoes, carrots, watermelon,
kale, spinach
lutein, zeaxanthin)
 Grapes, blueberries,
 Flavonoids (e.g., strawberries, cherries, apples,
anthocyanins, resveratrol, grapefruit, cranberries,
quercitin, catechins) raspberries, blackberries
 Glutathione  Green leafy vegetables
 Indoles  Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage,
Brussels sprouts,
 Isoflavones (e.g., genistein,
daidzeins)  Legumes (peas, soybeans)
 Lignans  Seeds (flax seeds, sunflower
seeds)
 Phenols, polyphenols,  Grapes, blueberries,
phenolic compounds (e.g., strawberries, cherries, grapefruit,
ellagic acid, ferulic acid, cranberries, raspberries,
tannins) blackberries, tea
 Saponins  Beans, legumes

27. SYNTHETIC ANTIOXIDANTS
 Butylated Hydroxy Anisole (BHA)
 Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (BHT)
 Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ)

28. BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole)
 BHA has the ability of antioxidants is good on animal fats in
baked food systems.
 BHA is fat soluble and water insoluble, solid white and is sold
in tablets or flakes, are volatile, so useful for adding to the
packing material.
 BHA is frequently used for the preservation of coconut and
palm kernel oil in cereal and confectionery products.
 BHA is good in baking because of its stability to heat and its
mild alkaline conditions.
 BHA is particularly useful in protecting the odor and flavor of
essential oils.

29. FOOD USE
 Bakery products
 Meat products
 Spices
 Cereals
 Yeast
 Vegetable oils
 Beverage mixes
 Dessert mixes
 Nuts

30. BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
 BHT is a white crystalline solid with properties similar to BHA.
 BHT is commonly used in combination with BHA to provide
greater antioxidant activity.
 BHT have a slight phenolic odor, and may impart undesirable
odor in foods when used at high temperature for an extended
period of time.
 Antioxidant preservative; prevents oxidative rancidity
development in oil-containing foods by terminating free
radicals formed during autoxidation of unsaturated lipids.
 It possesses antimicrobial activity as a phenolic compound.

31. FOOD USE
 Breakfast cereals
 Baked goods
 Potato chips
 Vegetable
 Oils
 Snack foods
 Butter
 Margarine
 Frozen seafoods
 Chewing gum base

32. TBHQ (tert-Butylhydroquinone)
 It is an aromatic organic compound which is a
type of phenol.
 It is a highly effective antioxidant. In foods, it is
used as a preservative for unsaturated vegetable
oils and many edible animal fats.
 It is added to a wide range of foods, with the
highest limit (1000 mg/kg) permitted for frozen fish
and fish products. Its primary advantage is
enhancing storage life.

33. Food Use
 Dry cereals
 Edible fats
 Margarine
 Pizza toppings
 Potato chips
 Poultry
 Dried meats
 Sausages
 Beef patties
 Vegetable oils

34. Diet Tips
 Try to limit or cut out the following:
 Processed Foods
 Smoked Foods
 Deep fried foods
 High fat items such as pastries
 Any items with added salt (check for sodium)
 Items with added sugar
 Try to limit your red meat intake

35.  Try to increase:
 Fresh and unprocessed foods
 Raw fruit and vegetables
 The fiber content in your diet