IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LIPOPHILIC ANTIOXIDANTS THROUGH TARGETED PARTITIONING

Fats and oils containing high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered to be beneficial to human health, yet their incorporation within formulated foods is complicated by their susceptibility to oxidation. This, coupled with the fact that consumers are increasing skeptical of synthetic antioxidants, means that processors must do more with less. Our central aim is to build an emulsion system that promotes the localization of α-tocopherol (TCP), a non-synthetic antioxidant, to the areas of highest oxidative stress in emulsions (i.e., interfaces). TCP's effectiveness is compromised in emulsions because it partitions deep within lipid droplets and away from interfaces. This proposal builds on our recent work in which we developed a spectroscopic technique allowing for the in situ determination of small molecule location in emulsions. The work proposed here would help elucidate the mechanisms by which antioxidants behave in multiphasic foods, and would allow processors to more efficiently exploit non-synthetic antioxidants in order to produce oxidatively stable, health-promoting foods. In doing so, our proposal addresses the A1361 program priority by contributing to our understanding of the chemical properties of food to improve its nutrition, health, shelf-life, economic, and sensory attributes.