Partition Coefficients of Some Antioxidants in Butteroil-Water Model Systems

The butteroil/water partition coefficients of the esters of gallic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid have been determined. Butylated hydroxy-anisole exhibited the highest preference for the oil phase, with a partition coefficient over 800. The coefficients of the gallic acid esters increased with increasing chain length of the alcoholic substituent, ranging from 0.24 for ethyl gallate to 71 for hexyl gallate. Increasing the temperature lowered the coefficient for the gallates, with the effect most pronounced for the higher homologues. Milk salts exhibited no effect on the coefficient of nordihydroguaiaretic acid or butylated hydroxyanisole but caused a decrease of partitioning of the gallates.