Ingredient
Tocopherols
Also known as Vitamin E, Tocopherol, Mixed tocopherols, E306
The vitamin-E antioxidants that interrupt fat oxidation, whether built into the meat through feed or added.
Tocopherols are the natural fat-soluble antioxidants of vitamin E, and they work by breaking the autooxidation chain, donating to a fat radical before it can attack the next molecule. They can be added directly, but they are also built into the meat itself when animals are fed vitamin E, which raises the fat's own resistance to going rancid from the inside. They pair well with water-soluble antioxidants like ascorbate, each guarding a different part of the tissue.