Antioxidant Polymers: Engineered Materials as Food Preservatives and Functional Foods

Polymeric antioxidants are a class of materials possessing the same or higher antioxidant capacity of the corresponding low molecular weight compounds and better stability and pharmacokinetic properties. They can be obtained by direct polymerization of the antioxidant molecules or by conjugation with synthetic or natural polymers. Due to their advantageous properties, they have found application in the food industry as additives, to preserve food quality during transportation, processing and storage, and as dietary supplements, because of their ability to affect the activity of several enzyme systems involved in the pathogenesis of several deseases. This chapter describes the application of antioxidant polymers in the food industry, with particular attention to the application of naturally occurring polymeric antioxidants and antioxidantpolymer conjugates as food preservatives and nutraceutical supplements.