What are BHA and BHT?

Posted by dxavier on September 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

chemicalsby Shereen Jegtvig

Food manufacturers add things to their products to keep them from going bad before we eat them.  When you look on the package for the ingredients list, you might find BHA and BHT listed there.  Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are preservatives that keep fats from going rancid.

Both BHA and BHT protect fats from oxidation damage caused when the fats in the food product are exposed to oxygen.  Actually, they work in a similar way as vitamin E (although that similar action doesn’t mean BHA and BHT are good for you).  BHA and BHT are often added to potato flakes, dry breakfast cereals, enriched rice, and foods containing animal fats and shortening. Read more

Possibly Related Posts:


Filed under Additives & Preservatives, Uncategorized · Tagged with , , , ,