Wheat Germ Oil as an Antioxidant in Dairy Products

Abstract

The use of antioxidants in the manufacture of food stuffs containing oils and fats has been studied by a number of investigators. Greenbank and ttolm (13) found maleic acid, hydroquinone, and certain other phenolic compounds to have antioxidant properties. Chilson (3), Dahle and Palmer (10), and Greenbank (12) reported that the addition of 20 to 100 milligrams of pure vitamin C per liter of milk retarded or entirely prevented the development of an oxidized flavor in susceptible milk to which no copper had been added. Barnicoat and Palmer (2) studied the antioxidant properties of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, and nicotinic acid and found that only vitamins C and E were effective. G~orgy and Tomarelli (14) found corn, oats, wheat, rice, bran extract and Avenex to have high antioxidant properties. Of the known B vitamins, p-aminobenzoic acid was the only one they found to be significantly antioxygenic. Tracy and Corbett (24) have shown that the addition of 0.1 to 0.25 per cent sodium citrate retarded the development of oxidized flavor in milk. Anderson (1) found that a pancreatic extract when added to milk protected' it from developing an oxidized flavor. The work of Dahle and Josephson (6, 7, 8), Corbett and Tracy (4), Koenig (17), Maack and Tracy (18), Muel~er and Mack (20), and Peters and Musher (23) has shown that the use of oat flour or a water extract from the oat flour prevented or retarded the oxidized flavor development in milk, ice cream, frozen cream, and butter. Mueller and Mack (21) in studying the antioxidative properties of several cereal flours found that whole oat flour, finely milled oat flour, and corn flour were of equal value but that wheat, barley, rye, and rice flours had but little antioxidative effect. Corbett and Tracy (5) repor ted the effectiveness of tyrosine, tyrosine esters and the water extract of certain cereal flours as antioxidants in dairy products. Hollender and Tracy (15) experimented with the use of certain antioxidants in powdered whole milk. Among the antioxidants they found most effective were gum guaiac, hydroquinone, ascorbic acid and sodium citrate. The studies of McFarlane of MacDonald College, Quebec, as reported by correspondence with the. author, have shown wheat germ oil to have antioxi-