ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF COENZYME-Q10 IN FOOD SYSTEMS

Antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone 10, CoQ10) and its reduced form, ubiquinol 10 (CoQ10H2), were determined in foods and the results discussed on the basis of radical exchange reactions occurring between these compounds and lipid radicals. CoQ10 does not react with peroxidizing lipids and therefore is not a food antioxidant. Although forming the corresponding semiquinone radical by reaction with peroxidizing lipid, CoQ10H2 is only a poor food antioxidant, as it is rapidly transformed into the corresponding inactive quinone in air. To be active as a food antioxidant, CoQ10 must be used in conjunction with a reducing agent such as vitamin C.