The Antioxidant Properties of Smoke Components
The antioxidant effect of smoking was noticed previously by observing that the lipids in smoked meats and fish were resistant to oxidation(Watts and Faulkner 1954) Among the smoke components that have the highest antioxidant activity are phenols some of them are more effective than butyl- ated hydroxyanisole(E 320) and butylated hydroxytoluene(E 321) when applied in similar concentrations. To the most active smoke phenols belong: pyrogallol, 3-methyl-pyrocatechol. methyl pyrocatechol, pyro catechol butylhydroxytoluol, resorcinol hydroquinone ca-naphthol. 4-methylguaia-col. 4-vinylguaiacol, and 4-trans-propenyl-syringol. The antioxidant properties of the phenolic fraction of wood smoke were already recognized about 50 years ago(Kurko 1963, 1966). Liquid smoke in a concentration of 1.5% was shown to effectively retard the lipid oxidation in precooked beef patties during 90 days of storage at-15 oC(Estrada Munoz et al. 1998).