June 2011 Prepared Foods – In the growing trend toward simpler, cleaner labels, one of the biggest challenges to food manufacturers is providing a viable, natural alternative to synthetic antioxidants, without compromising flavor and performance. It is now possible for food manufacturers to extend product shelflife with a natural antioxidant—without sacrificing performance, flavor or aroma.

Kalsec^®, a producer of natural colors, flavor extracts, antioxidants, hop extracts and nutritional ingredients for the food and beverage industries, recently evaluated the stability of a variety of edible oils—comparing its line of natural antioxidants to a commonly used synthetic equivalent.

Common synthetic antioxidants include tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydrooxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as well as ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA). While synthetic antioxidants are cost-effective, they have limitations: they may not always be heat-stable; they have regulated usage limits; and they may present undesirable consumer labeling issues. Because of these issues, processors are focusing on natural antioxidants to create more consumer-friendly labels.