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.