Antioxidants are substances that at low concentrations retard the
oxidation of easily oxidizable biomolecules, such as lipids and proteins
in meat products, thus improving shelf life of products by protecting
them against deterioration caused by oxidation. The use of antioxidants
in food products is controlled by regulatory laws of a country
or international standards. Although there are many compounds
that have been proposed to possess antioxidant properties to inhibit
oxidative deterioration, only a few can be used in food products. In
the United States the use of antioxidants is subject to regulation
under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Meat Inspection Act,
Poultry Inspection Act, and other state laws (Mikova, 2001; Shahidi
& Zhong, 2005). In the European Union, regulation of antioxidants
is stipulated by the European Parliament and Council Directive No.
95/2/EC of 20 February 1995 on food additives other than color or