01
Ascorbates
Ascorbic acid and its salts can be used for their antioxidant role in food. Their presence as additives should not be read as a blanket claim about the nutritional quality of the product.
E-number field guide
Food antioxidants, properly explained.
A researched guide to what this category means on a UK label, the important subtypes, and all 21 entries in NutraSafe’s published library.
Example UK ingredients-list format
Antioxidant: E300
Ascorbic acid21library entries
3key distinctions
4primary sources
The plain-English answer
What food antioxidants actually do
Antioxidants are added to slow oxidation, the reactions that can make fats taste rancid or alter colour and flavour. The technical job in a recipe is separate from any nutritional use the same substance may have.
The entries below come from the antioxidant category in our additive database. Each full page sets out the individual research, regulatory position and sources.
Know the differences
One category. Several very different jobs.
The exact code matters more than the category headline. These are the distinctions that make the list easier to read without turning every additive into the same story.
02
Tocopherols
Several tocopherol forms sit close together in the numbering system. Open the exact code to distinguish mixed tocopherols from alpha-, gamma- and delta-tocopherol entries.
03
Gallates and other antioxidants
Propyl gallate, TBHQ, BHA, BHT and rosemary extracts are chemically different additives. A shared function does not give them a shared evidence profile or a shared set of permitted uses.
A better way to read the packet
Function first, then the exact name
1
Find the function
UK guidance says the ingredients list identifies what the additive does, such as “preservative” or “antioxidant”.
2
Read the name or E-number
The specific substance can follow as a name or code. Both routes identify the additive; neither is a safety score.
3
Open the individual entry
That is where NutraSafe separates source, uses, current regulatory detail, research notes and citations for that code.
Current GB context: since 1 April 2025, the FSA’s electronic register has been the official public list of authorised food additives in Great Britain. An authorisation can include food-category limits and notes, so appearing in a directory does not mean unrestricted use in every food. Read the register guidance.
All food antioxidants
Showing all 21
Ascorbic acid acts as an antioxidant by donating electrons to reactive oxygen species before they can oxidise fats, pigments, or flavour compounds.
Read the full entryIt works as an antioxidant by donating electrons to free radicals and reactive oxygen species that would otherwise oxidise fats, pigments and flavour compounds.
Read the full entryIt works by donating electrons to oxidising agents before they can attack the pigments, fats or other sensitive molecules in food.
Read the full entryAs an antioxidant, potassium ascorbate donates electrons to free radicals and to oxygen, interrupting the oxidation chain reactions that cause food to brown, go rancid, or lose colour.
Read the full entryIt donates electrons to free radicals in fat-containing foods, breaking the chain reaction that turns oils rancid.
Read the full entryTocopherols interrupt the chain reaction of fat oxidation by donating a hydrogen atom to free radicals, neutralising them before they can degrade oils and fats.
Read the full entryAlpha-tocopherol breaks the chain reaction that turns fats rancid (lipid peroxidation).
Read the full entryGamma-tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant.
Read the full entryIt breaks the chain reaction of lipid peroxidation by donating a hydrogen atom to free radicals formed when fats react with oxygen.
Read the full entryIt works by donating hydrogen atoms to free radicals produced during fat oxidation, interrupting the chain reaction that turns fats rancid.
Read the full entryOctyl gallate works by donating hydrogen atoms to free radicals produced during fat oxidation, interrupting the chain reaction that turns fats rancid.
Read the full entryIt works by donating hydrogen atoms to free radicals, interrupting the chain reactions that cause fats and oils to go rancid.
Read the full entryIt scavenges oxygen and free radicals, slowing oxidative reactions that turn fats rancid and cause colour changes.
Read the full entryIt acts as an antioxidant by donating electrons to oxygen, slowing oxidation reactions that would otherwise cause off-flavours, colour loss and rancidity.
Read the full entryTBHQ interrupts the chain reaction of lipid oxidation by donating a hydrogen atom to free radicals, neutralising them before they can degrade fats and oils.
Read the full entryBHA works by donating a hydrogen atom to free radicals produced when fats oxidise, interrupting the chain reaction that causes rancidity.
Read the full entryBHT scavenges free radicals that trigger oxidative chain reactions in fats and oils.
Read the full entryIt binds to trace metal ions (particularly iron and copper) in food matrices, preventing those metals from triggering oxidative chain reactions that turn fats rancid.
Read the full entryCarnosic acid and carnosol donate hydrogen atoms to free radicals, interrupting the chain reaction that turns unsaturated fats rancid.
Read the full entryActs as an antioxidant by donating electrons to oxidising molecules, slowing the browning and colour loss that occurs when white asparagus is canned.
Read the full entryIt inhibits polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme in crustacean tissue that drives melanosis, the enzymatic browning reaction that produces dark spots on prawns and other shellfish after they are caught.
Read the full entryNo matching additive in this category.
Questions, answered
What people usually want to know
What does an antioxidant do in food?
The legal functional class covers substances that prolong shelf-life by protecting food against oxidation, including fat rancidity and colour changes.
Is an antioxidant additive automatically a vitamin?
No. Some substances, such as ascorbic acid or tocopherols, are also associated with vitamins, but the label’s functional class describes why the substance is used in that food.
Can one antioxidant be swapped for another?
Not from the category name alone. Different antioxidants have different properties, conditions of use and evidence, so check the exact name or E-number.
How this guide was checked
Primary sources, not filler
The category explanation and label rules above were checked against official UK guidance, the GB authorisations register, legislation and EFSA background material. Individual additive pages carry the sources for their additive-specific claims.
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Directory updated: 16 September 2026