Research Progress on the Application of Antioxidant TBHQ

 Auto-oxidation refers to a kind of complex free radical chain reaction in which a compound and oxygen in the air are mildly carried out at room temperature or slightly higher temperature to form free radical intermediates or final products of organic peroxides, such as the rancidity of food and oil, and aging of rubber and plastic, etc. Any hydrocarbon can exhibit auto-oxidation, but the presence of unsaturation,such as triglycerides, greatly increases the likelihood of auto-oxidation of the product.

Antioxidant TBHQ is a kind of phenolic antioxidant with good quality, which is often used to prevent or delay the metamorphism caused by automatic oxidation of products. In 1991, China approved the use of TBHQ as an antioxidant in food, and the maximum use limit is 0.2g/kg (in terms of oil and grease). At present, TBHQ is widely used in food, feed, cosmetics and rubber, ink and other chemical industry products.

1.Application in Food

During the processing and storage of fats and fat-containing foods, unsaturated fatty acids will automatically oxidize and cause rancidity of fats, which will adversely affect the quality of products. TBHQ can effectively delay the oxidation and rancidity of products, and the antioxidant effect is better than other commonly used antioxidants, with high activity, good effect and high cost performance, and is widely used in various food products.

For vegetable oils and fats, TBHQ is the more effective among the common antioxidants. Jinrui Xu[1] studied the effect of three antioxidants on sunflower oil, and their antioxidant effects were in the order of TBHQ>BHT>BHA under the condition of equal addition, and citric acid (CA) had a synergistic effect on several antioxidants.

Data Source: Xu Jinrui, Deng Yifeng, Lie Likun. Effects of Synergistic Effects of Several Antioxidants on the Stability of Sunflower Oil

For fried food, TBHQ can withstand high temperature and maintain a relatively good antioxidant effect in fried food and frying oil. Gao Pei et al. [2] studied the antioxidant stability of TBHQ on fried peanuts, and the results showed that under the condition of accelerated oxidation at 37°C, the acid value and peroxide value of fried peanuts after adding 0.1g/kg TBHQ were significantly lower than those of the control group, and none of them exceeded the international limit standard, and the predicted shelf life was more than 12 months, while the acid value of the control group without adding antioxidants exceeded the standard in the third month of storage.

2. Application in Feed

Feed oxidative rancidity mainly refers to the oxidative destruction process of lipids or fat-soluble components. TBHQ can play an antioxidant role by scavenging free radicals in feed and forming stable phenoxy radicals. The antioxidant effect of TBHQ is superior to other antioxidants belonging to phenols, such as BHT, BHA, PG, and VE. Vitamin C, citric acid, and phosphoric acid can significantly improve the antioxidant effect of TBHQ. The combined use of phenolic antioxidants is also significantly better than the use of TBHQ alone. Announcement No. 2625 of the Ministry of Agriculture stipulates that the maximum limit of TBHQ in feed oil is 0.2g/kg. When used in combination with other antioxidants, the total amount added in the compound feed shall not exceed 0.15g/kg.

Peng Diwei et al.[3] used the Oxitest oil oxidation analyzer to study the antioxidant effect of TBHQ on feed fish oil under the conditions of temperature 90 °C and oxygen pressure 6 BAR. The results showed that compared with fish oil without antioxidants, adding 200 mg/kg TBHQ, the oxidative stability time of fish oil increased from 2 h 4 min to 3 h 21 min, and the addition of TBHQ could significantly improve the oxidative stability of fish oil.

Data Source: Peng Diwei, Yang Bineng, Huang Zhen, etc. Research on Oxidative Stability of Feed Fish Oil

3. Application in Cosmetics

For cosmetic or personal care products, the fragrance or smell greatly influences consumer acceptance. The likelihood of providing consumers with a fresh, stable product that is not damaged by oxidation is enhanced by the use of an appropriate antioxidant such as TBHQ, which acts as a free radical scavenger, inhibits rancidity of creams and lotions, and degradation of fragrances. TBHQ has good oil solubility, can effectively protect fat or oil, and is an emulsifier derived from unsaturated fat or oil. It has good stability and is not easy to volatilize at the typical processing temperature of cosmetics. For common cosmetic oils, as well as other unsaturated ingredients, TBHQ is more effective than other antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, and propyl gallate. The "Catalogue of Used Cosmetic Raw Materials (2021 Edition)" stipulates that the highest historical usage of TBHQ in resident products is 0.05%.

4. Application in Other Industries

In addition to being used for antioxidation of oils and fats such as food and feed, TBHQ is also a very good industrial antioxidant, mainly used in plastics, rubber, inks, coatings, unsaturated resins and other industrial fields. In the case of a concentration of 0.01% to 1.0%, it is a very effective antioxidant for unstable organic liquids (such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, oils, ethers and aldehydes). In some cases, TBHQ was more potent than hydroquinone. TBHQ is a very effective polymerization inhibitor for the storage process of unsaturated polyester and other polymeric organic substances. At the same time, it is an excellent defoamer, especially suitable for the polyethylene industry. It can not only eliminate the “fish eyes” in PVC products, but also prevent the aging of PVC products, thereby prolonging the life of PVC products. . The dosage is 1-2g/kg.

About L&P

L&P Food Ingredient Co., Ltd is based on nearly 40 years of ingenious research in the food chemical industry, which is dedicated to the cultivation of food oil antioxidants, and striving to provide outstanding products and services to the world and create the best antioxidant solutions!

References:

[1] Xu Jinrui, Deng Yifeng, Lie Likun:“Effects of Synergistic Effects of Several Antioxidants on the Stability of Sunflower Oil [J].”, China Oils and Fats, 2009, 34(08): 40-42.

[2] Gao Pei, Jiang Qixing, Li Shuqi, Yu Peipei, Xu Xueqin:“Effect of TBHQ on Antioxidative Stability of Fried Peanuts [J].” Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences, 2022, 50(03): 186-189.

[3] Peng Diwei, Yang Bineng, Huang Zhen, etc.: “Research on Oxidative Stability of Feed Fish Oil [J].”, Modern Journal of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, 2022, No.407(10): 19-23.