ABSTRACT: The effect of two different antioxidants, EDTA and green tea extract (GTE), used individually or in combination, on
the light-induced oxidation of reduced fat soft cheeses (0.2 and 6% fat) was investigated. In samples with 0.2% fat, lipid
hydroperoxides as primary lipid oxidation products were not detected, but their interference was suggested from the formation of
secondary lipid oxidation products such as hexanal and heptanal. The occurrence of these oxidation markers was inhibited by spiking
with 50 ppm EDTA or 750 ppm GTE, or a combination of the two prior to irradiation. In contrast, addition of 50 ppm EDTA to
samples with 6% fat was ineffective, but 750 ppm GTE (alone or in combination with EDTA) strongly reduced levels of hexanal and
heptanal. Accumulation of primary lipid hydroperoxides was not affected by GTE, hence antioxidative activity was ascribed to
scavenging of hexanal and heptanal precursors. These radical intermediates result from hydroperoxide disintegration, and
subsequent scavenging by GTE, which acts as a radical sink, corroborates the intense signal observed by electron paramagnetic
resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.