A Rigorous Kinetic Model for β-Carotene Oxidation in the Presence of an Antioxidant, α-Tocopherol

Oxidation of β-carotene in an inert solvent, n-decane, in the presence of various concentrations of the antioxidant α-tocopherol was studied. The progress of carotene oxidation was suppressed as long as the tocopherol remained in the system. A rigorous kinetic model for carotene oxidation in the presence of an antioxidant was proposed based on a reaction mechanism in which not only the antioxidation but also the co-oxidation and radical-exchange reaction of tocopherol with carotene were incorporated. The model quantitatively described the oxidation behavior of carotene over a wide range of temperatures, oxygen compositions, and initial antioxidant concentrations.