The capacities of six antioxidants to inhibit the formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2 diol (3-MCPD) esters were examined in this study. Inhibitory capacities of the antioxidants were investigated both in chemical models containing the precursors (tripalmitoyl glycerol, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol, monopalmitoyl glycerol, and sodium chloride) of 3-MCPD esters and in oil models (rapeseed oil and sodium chloride). Six antioxidants, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), propyl gallate (PG), L-ascorbyl palmitate (AP), and α-tocopherol (VE), were found to exhibit inhibiting capacities on 3-MCPD ester formation both in chemical models and in oil models. TBHQ provided the highest inhibitory capacity both in chemical models and in oil models; 44% of 3-MCPD ester formation was inhibited in the presence of TBHQ (66 mg/kg of oil) after heating of rapeseed oil at 230 °C for 30 min, followed by PG and AP. BHT, BHA, and VE appeared to have weaker inhibitory abilities in both models. VE exhibited the lowest inhibition rate; 22% of 3-MCPD esters were inhibited in the presence of VE (172 mg/kg of oil) after heating of rapeseed oil at 230 °C for 30 min. In addition, the inhibition rates of PG and VE decreased dramatically with an increase in temperature or heating time. The results suggested that some antioxidants, such as TBHQ, PG, and AP, could be the potential inhibitors of 3-MCPD esters in practice.
