An antioxidant is a molecule capable of preventing the oxidation of other molecules, the utilization of antioxidants in food serves to avoid the oxidation phenomena that these could suffer.
There are many foods that when they come into contact with oxygen deteriorate, losing their nutritional properties. We have all seen that when an apple is cut and left open for a while, its pulp gets dark. This is due to an oxidation process of the E vitamin it contains, as well as the rest of the compounds susceptible to oxidation reactions.
An example of the use of antioxidants in food is its use to avoid the oxidation of fats that causes the acidity of the food as well as the appearance of unpleasant odors and colors, losing the nutritional properties of the same to disappear unsaturated fatty acids and some vitamins.
With food rancidity not only undesirable compounds are formed that cause the above-mentioned effects, but toxic products sometimes also originate. Antioxidants act by stopping the chain reaction, eliminating trapped or dissolved oxygen in the containers or eliminating traces of some metals such as copper and iron that facilitate oxidation.
