TERTIARY BUTYL HYDROQUINONE (TBHQ) ANTIOXIDANT

Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ) is the synthetic food grade antioxidant, which was developed to be used in stabilizing various vegetable oils, fats and food against oxidative deterioration, thus retrading development of rancidity in these products and extending their storage life. Tocopherol, a natural antioxidant present in vegetable oils is often inadequate for oxidative stability. Even external addition of Tocopherol provides little or no increase in the stability and hence needs synthetic antioxidant. Among the various synthetic anti-oxidant, TBHQ and Propyl Gallate are the most effective. However, unlike Propyl Gallate, TBHQ is not prone to discolouration in presence of Iorn.

TBHQ exhibits an outstanding stabilizing effect in unsaturated fats, particularly in Polyunsaturated vegetable oils, and inedible animal fats. TBHQ can also be advantageous in essential oils, nuts, buffer fat and food packaging material.

Thus, Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ) provides a healthier and most favoured option for preserving food products.

Specification of TBHQ

Name of Products	:	Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone
Common Name	:	TBHQ
Empirical Formula	:	C10H14O2
CAS Number	:	1947 - 33 - 0
Structural Formula	:
Physical Appearance	:	White Crystalline Power
Molecular Weight	:	166.22
Melting Range	:	126.5 °C to 128 °C
Purity as C10H14O2 % by mass	:	99.0% Minimum
t-butyl p-benzoquinone % mass	:	0.2 % Maximum
2,5-Di-Tert. Butyl Hydroquinone, % by mass	:	0.2 % Maximum
Hydroquinone % by mass	:	0.1 % Maximum
Arsenic (as As) mg./kg .	:	3.0 Maximum
Heavy metal (as Pb)	:	2.0 Maximum
Toluence mg/kg	:	25.0 Maximum
Uv absorbance (Polynuclear Hydrocarbons)	:	Passes Test

Advantage from the use of TBHQ

• Excellent antioxidant potency can be obtained in edible oils and fats.
  
  
• Reduction in nuritional losses.
  
  
• Extended storage life.
  
  
• Crude oil can be transported maintaining their quality.

Area Of Application (TBHQ)

Vegetable oils Viz. Cotton seeds oil, Soyabean oil, Mustard oil, coconut oil, Sunflower oil, Cannola oil, Corn oil, Palm oil, Groundnut oil, Ricebran oil. Baked and confectionary Products Cosmetics Edible Fats Emulsifiers Flavouring and spices Margarine Snack foods like Fried Potato chips, Instant Noodles

Citrus oils Butter Fats Fried Nuts Pat Foods Cereal and Grains Lard Essential oils like Peppermint oil, Orange oil etc.

Method Of Application

TBHQ antioxident is readily soluble at use levels in fats& oils and in a number of solvents. It can be applied by the basic technigues in general use for applying antioxidants to fats & fatty foods.

The fundamental rule to follow in applying antioxidant to food products is to ensure that the antioxidants are throughly dissolved and dispersed in the fat or oil portions. Since only small amounts of anitioxidants are required for protection of food, the method of incorporationg the antioxidant may determine the sucess of stabilization. Choice of method depend on the product, processing methods and available equipment.

TBHQ antioxidant can be applied by one or more of the following techniques:

DIRECT METHOD : A fat, oil or wax can be stabilzed by heating 60° C minimum non-aerated agitation sufficiently to dissolve the TBHQ. The agitation should be continued for additional 20 minutes to ensure uniform distribution.

CONCENTRATE METHOD : Concentrated solution of antioxidant can be prepared by dissolving the TBHQ in a small quantity of fat at 90 ° C 120 ° C. The hot concentrate or a pre-dissolved antioxidant formulation can be introduced into the main bod of fat , directly or by metering. Agitation is required for thorough distribution.

PROPORTIONATE METHOD : TBHQ or antioxidant formulation may be proportioned or metered into a pipeline through which fat or oil to be stabilized is being pumped. A stainless steel proportioning pump should be used to meter the desired amount of antioxidant into the fat or oil. The sucess of this technique depend o the turbulence created within the pipeline being sufficent to thoroughly disperse the antioxidant.

SPRAY METHOD : Food products such as nuts can be sprayed directly with a dilute antioxidant solution. The concentration of the solution is adjusted t provide the desired amount of antioxidant and to ensure uniform deposition on the surface of the products.

OTHER METHOD : Other innovative means could be used to apply TBHQ antioxidant to various food products. For instance, meat products such as sausages may be effectively stabilized by blending the antioxidant formulation into the sausages along with the seasoning mix.