Three of the test antioxidants (ferulic acid, sodium phytate, and
ascorbate) at the 11,000 ppm level preserved the cookies as long
or longer than BHA at 200 ppm (53.7 days) (Table III). Ferulic
acid and sodium phytate also had a preservative effect at some of
the lower levels tested. Cookies containing ascorbate + a-tocopherol,
or a-tocopherol became rancid faster than the 200 ppm
BHA cookies. Although tocopherol and ascorbate have been
reported to have a synergistic antioxidant effect (Schuler 1990),
none was observed in this study.