Antioxidants in Food: The Authorised List and How They Keep Food Fresh
Antioxidants in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 – definition, function and the full E-number list, by InfoCons
The additives that fight oxidation – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Oxygen keeps us alive, but it is also one of food great enemies. Oxidation turns fats rancid, dulls colours and degrades flavours and nutrients. Antioxidants are the additives that slow this process, and they are one of the twenty-seven functional categories defined in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. This InfoCons – Consumer Protection article explains what antioxidants are, how they protect food, and lists the authorised antioxidants by E number and name.
Preventing oxidation is not only about keeping food looking and tasting good; it is also about safety and nutrition. Rancid fats produce off-flavours and undesirable oxidation products, and the loss of colour or vitamins reduces both the appeal and the nutritional value of a food. By slowing these reactions, antioxidants help food stay wholesome for longer, reduce waste, and protect some of the nutrients that would otherwise degrade on the shelf.
What the law says: the definition of antioxidants – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Annex I defines antioxidants as substances that prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by oxidation, such as fat rancidity and colour changes. Like all additives, antioxidants must satisfy the general conditions of authorisation: they must be safe at the levels used, meet a genuine technological need, and not mislead the consumer. Many antioxidants are used under the quantum satis principle, while others have defined maximum levels.
It is worth noting that some antioxidants are also familiar as nutrients. Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, and the tocopherols are forms of vitamin E. When used for their technological antioxidant function rather than as nutrients, they are treated as additives – a good reminder that the same substance can play different roles depending on its purpose, and that the label context tells you which role it is playing.
What antioxidants do in your food – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Antioxidants protect fats and oils from going rancid, preserve the colour of fruits, vegetables and meats, and help maintain the nutritional quality of products over their shelf-life. They are widely used in oils, spreads, baked goods, snacks, processed meats and many other products where fat oxidation or colour loss would otherwise limit shelf-life or reduce appeal.
The class includes both nature-identical and synthetic substances. Ascorbic acid and its salts, the tocopherols and rosemary extract are examples associated with natural sources, while gallates, tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are synthetic antioxidants used in specific applications and subject to defined limits. Antioxidants are also frequently used together with sequestrants, which bind the trace metals that speed up oxidation.
The authorised antioxidants: E numbers and names – InfoCons Consumer Protection
The following antioxidants are among those authorised in the Union list, each identified by its E number and name as it would appear in an ingredient list:
E 300 – Ascorbic acid
E 301 – Sodium ascorbate
E 302 – Calcium ascorbate
E 304 – Fatty acid esters of ascorbic acid
E 306 – Tocopherol-rich extract
E 307 – Alpha-tocopherol
E 308 – Gamma-tocopherol
E 309 – Delta-tocopherol
E 310 – Propyl gallate
E 311 – Octyl gallate
E 312 – Dodecyl gallate
E 315 – Erythorbic acid
E 316 – Sodium erythorbate
E 319 – Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
E 320 – Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
E 321 – Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
E 392 – Extracts of rosemary
These substances span the E 300 to E 321 range, together with rosemary extract (E 392). Ascorbic acid and its derivatives (E 300 to E 304) and the tocopherols (E 306 to E 309) are among the most widely used, while the gallates (E 310 to E 312) and the synthetic antioxidants BHA (E 320) and BHT (E 321) are used more selectively and under stricter conditions.
Antioxidants and the informed consumer – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Antioxidants play a genuinely protective role, both for the food and, indirectly, for the consumer, by preventing the formation of undesirable oxidation products. As always, the informed approach is to know which antioxidants are present and to understand their purpose, rather than to fear the class as a whole. Some consumers prefer products using ascorbic acid, tocopherols or rosemary extract over synthetic alternatives, and reading the label makes that choice possible.
InfoCons – Consumer Protection returns to the theme of accumulation: antioxidants, like every other class, add up across the products you buy and the meals you eat. The ability to see the total number of additives gathered in a basket or consumed at a single meal is what transforms label-reading from an isolated act into a genuine understanding of your overall intake.
How much may be used: conditions, limits and quantum satis – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Being authorised is only the beginning. Under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, every antioxidant may be used only in the specific food categories set out in the Union list and only under the conditions attached to each entry. For many substances the list sets a numerical maximum level, expressed in milligrams per kilogram of food; for others it applies the quantum satis principle, meaning no fixed numerical limit is set and the substance must be used in accordance with good manufacturing practice, at no more than the level needed to achieve the intended effect, and without misleading the consumer.
The regulation also requires that the amount used be limited to the lowest level necessary to obtain the desired technological effect. Where maximum levels apply, they take into account the acceptable daily intake established for the substance and the likely intake from all dietary sources, including for special groups such as children. As a rule, maximum levels apply to the food as marketed, with a specific adjustment for dehydrated or concentrated foods that must be reconstituted before consumption.
For the consumer, this means that the presence of a antioxidant on a label does not imply it can be used without limit. On the contrary, its use is bounded by category, by purpose and, in many cases, by a precise maximum. InfoCons – Consumer Protection considers these conditions of use one of the most important, and least understood, protections in the whole system.
Safety first: assessment, ADI and re-evaluation – InfoCons Consumer Protection
No antioxidant reaches the Union list without first being assessed as safe at its proposed levels of use, on the basis of the available scientific evidence. For many additives, scientific bodies establish an acceptable daily intake, or ADI – an estimate of the amount that can be consumed every day over a lifetime without appreciable risk. The conditions of use are then set so that realistic consumption across the whole diet is expected to remain within this safe boundary.
Crucially, authorisation is not permanent and untouchable. The European Union has committed to a systematic re-evaluation of previously approved additives by the European Food Safety Authority in the light of current scientific knowledge. Producers and users are also legally obliged to report immediately any new scientific or technical information that might affect an additive safety assessment. Together, these mechanisms mean that each antioxidant remains under review and its authorisation can be maintained, tightened or withdrawn as the evidence evolves.
InfoCons – Consumer Protection views this combination of prior assessment and continuous re-evaluation as the backbone of consumer confidence. It allows consumers to treat an authorised additive as one that has been vetted, while understanding that the system remains vigilant rather than complacent.
Natural, nature-identical or synthetic? – InfoCons Consumer Protection
A common misunderstanding is that every E number denotes an artificial chemical. In reality, additives within a single functional class can come from very different origins: some are extracted from natural sources, some are nature-identical versions of substances found in nature, and some are produced synthetically. The E number identifies the substance and confirms it is authorised; it does not, on its own, tell you whether the source is natural or synthetic.
This matters because consumers often have legitimate preferences about origin, whether for dietary, ethical or personal reasons. Reading the specific name behind the functional class – not just the fact that a antioxidant is present – is what allows an informed choice. InfoCons – Consumer Protection encourages consumers to look past the general fear of E numbers and to focus instead on the specific substances and their documented roles.
Smart shopping: putting this category in perspective – InfoCons Consumer Protection
The practical takeaway for shoppers is neither alarm nor indifference, but attention. Knowing what a antioxidant does, recognising it on a label, and understanding that its use is limited by law allows you to judge products calmly and compare them meaningfully. Two similar products can differ substantially in how many additives they contain, and the more informed you are, the easier it is to choose according to your own priorities.
It is also worth remembering that a antioxidant never acts in isolation on the shelf. Products are formulated as whole recipes, and the same food may combine this class with colours, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers and others, each performing its own job. Comparing similar products side by side often reveals striking differences: one may rely on a long list of additives while another achieves a similar result with only a few. This variety is precisely what gives the informed consumer room to choose.
Above all, InfoCons – Consumer Protection emphasises the cumulative picture. A single product may contain several additives, the same additive may recur across many products in your basket, and a single meal can bring together additives from several sources at once. The real question is therefore not only what each label says, but how many additives you accumulate across your whole shopping and across your day. That is the perspective that turns label-reading into genuine control over your diet, and it is the personal layer of protection that the law itself cannot provide for you.
The InfoCons Additives Calculator: how many additives are really in your basket? – InfoCons Consumer Protection
Understanding the law is one thing; seeing what it means for your own shopping basket is another. A single processed product can contain several additives at once, and an ordinary weekly shop can add up to dozens or even hundreds of additive occurrences once you sum every product together. What is more, the same additive can appear in many different products in the same basket, which means it enters the consumer’s diet repeatedly.
To answer this, InfoCons – Consumer Protection offers consumers the Only Additives Calculator for the food products bought or consumed. It is the only calculator for food shopping that shows the number of additives present and how many times a given additive is found in the shopping basket. Instead of looking at each product in isolation, the consumer gets a complete picture of the whole basket, seeing the real, cumulative number of additives being purchased.
The same logic applies to a single meal. A breakfast, a lunch or a dinner can bring together several processed products, each with its own set of additives. When these products are eaten together, the additives add up. A seemingly simple meal can, in reality, mean the simultaneous consumption of a surprisingly large number of food additives – colours, preservatives, emulsifiers, flavour enhancers, stabilizers and more. That is why the question “how many additives do I consume at one meal?” is just as important as “how many additives am I buying?”
As a practical solution, the InfoCons application helps consumers identify additives quickly. By scanning the barcode of an agri-food product, the app identifies the product and shows the food additives it contains, turning the “E” codes on the label into clear, easy-to-understand information. In this way, consumers can see how many additives are cumulated in their shopping basket or even in a single meal, and can make informed choices for themselves and their families – right there, in front of the shelf.
Signed:
InfoCons Consumer Protection Department of Studies and Comparative Testing