E320 - Butylhydroxyanisole (BHA)

E320 BUTYLIDROSSIANISOL (BHA)

Butylhydroxyanisole was the first synthetic antioxidant. This compound is a set of stable substances, insoluble in water, to which other antioxidant additives are added.

Butylhydroxyanisole can be found in cakes, biscuits, cereal derivatives, condiments, sauces and soups, nuts, powdered milk, potato flakes, food flavorings, chewing gum etc.

Also for this additive there are conflicting opinions on its level of toxicity: some scholars have not ruled out that butyl-hydroxyanisole may be carcinogenic or mutagenic, while others object to this thesis, arguing that the experiments were done on rats and not on humans . However the doubts remain: it is thought, in fact, that butyl hydroxyanisole also contributes to increase the levels of blood cholesterol and lipids in the blood, and favors the formation of gastric enzymes in the liver, feeding the destruction of other substances such as vitamin D.

This additive cannot be added to baby products and is also not recommended for pregnant women and nurses.

At the moment, there are no known negative side effects to the concentrations used, even if some pseudo-allergic reactions have been recorded.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), in combination with high concentrations of vitamin C, can produce free radicals responsible for damage to cellular components. This urged the EU to limit its use in the near future.

ADI DOSE: 0.3-0.5 mg per kg of body weight (provisional value).