Use of antioxidants as food additives and exposure assessment in Brazil

Antioxidants as food additives are essential for maintaining food quality and extending shelf life by preventing lipid oxidation. However, there is limited information on their usage in Brazil and the exposure of the Brazilian population to these additives. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of 14 authorized antioxidants in Brazil and estimate dietary exposure to seven of them. For that, a database of 3300 food products was analyzed to identify the use of the antioxidants through the ingredient list. In addition, the intake of the substances with established Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) was estimated by multiplying their maximum permitted limits in foods by consumption data from the 2017–2018 Household Budget Survey, which included a 24-h dietary recall from 46,164 individuals aged 10 and older. Results showed that 600 products (18.2 %) contained at least one of the antioxidants studied, with sodium erythorbate and ascorbic acid being the most common (45.2 % and 17.2 %, respectively). Most products contained only one antioxidant, though some had combinations of up to four. All estimated intakes were below the ADIs, representing a maximum of 13.9 % of the safety parameter in the case of the high consumer of BHT. Understanding the use and intake of antioxidants as food additives is important to continuously improve the quality and safety of food products.