Food antioxidants

Antioksidansi su molekule sposobne spriječiti oksidaciju drugih molekula. Reakcija oksidacije može proizvesti slobodne radikale koji potom mogu započeti lančane reakcije koje oštećuju stanicu. Dakle, glavna karakteristika antioksidansa je njegova sposobnost da neutralizira slobodne radikale, koji su vrlo reaktivni i nalaze se prisutni u gotovo svim biološkim sustavima. Slobodni radikali mogu oksidirati nukleinske kiseline, proteine i lipide. Antioksidativni spojevi (fenolne kiseline, polifenoli, flavonoidi…) vežu slobodne radikale (peroksid, hidroperoksid, peroksilne lipide itd.) te tako inhibiraju oksidativni mehanizam koji dovodi do degenerativnih bolesti. Antioksidativni spojevi u hrani imaju važnu ulogu kao faktor zaštite zdravlja. Znanstveni dokazi upućuju na to da antioksidansi smanjuju rizik za kronične bolesti uključujući rak, srčane bolesti, itd. Primarni izvori prirodnih antioksidansa su različiti spojevi biljnog porijekla koji se razlikuju po svojim fizikalnim i kemijskim svojstvima. Neki spojevi, kao što su galati, imaju snažno antioksidativno djelovanje, dok drugi, kao što su mono-fenoli djeluju vrlo slabo. Budući da su brojne namirnice bogate antioksidansima (u prirodnom stanju, bez dodatne tehnološke obrade), lako je unijeti dovoljne količine potrebne za „borbu“ protiv potencijalno štetnih učinaka slobodnih radikala. Namirnice koje su najbogatije antioksidansima su: voće, kava, čaj, crno vino te tamna čokolada.Antioxidants are molecules capable of preventing oxidation of other molecules. The reaction of oxidation can produce free radicals, which then can start chain reactions that damage cells. Therefore, the main antioxidant properties are its ability to neutralize free radicals, which are very reactive and are present in almost all biological systems. Free radicals can oxidize nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. Antioxidant compounds (phenolic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids...) bind free radicals (peroxide, hydroperoxide, lipid peroxyl, etc.) and thus inhibit the oxidative mechanism which leads to degenerative diseases. Antioxidant compounds in food have an important role as a factor in health care. Scientific evidence suggests that antioxidants reduce the risk of chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, etc. The primary sources of natural antioxidants are different compounds of plant origin that vary in their physical and chemical properties. Some compounds, such as gallat, have strong antioxidant activity, while others, such as mono-phenols acting very poorly. Since many foods are high in antioxidants (in its natural state, without further technological processing), it is easy to bring a sufficient amount necessary to "fight" against the potentially harmful effects of free radicals. Foods that are richest in antioxidants are fruits, coffee, tea, red wine and dark chocolate