Erythorbates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Compounds derived from erythorbic acid used primarily as antioxidants in food to prevent spoilage and maintain color and flavor
2. Chemical agents related to ascorbic acid that serve to inhibit oxidation processes in processed foods, enhancing preservation and freshness
3. Food additives belonging to the class of erythorbic acid salts that act to delay rancidity and color degradation by stabilizing ingredients against oxidative damage

Etymology: Erythorbates are salts and esters of erythorbic acid, and the name records that chemical parentage in a plain, almost bureaucratic way. "Erythorbic acid" is a stereoisomer of ascorbic acid, the molecule better known as vitamin C, which is why the compound works as such an effective antioxidant in food. The word is a plural: the singular "erythorbate" is the form of the term for one such salt or ester. The "-ate" ending is the part with the longest history. It descends from Latin "-atus", a suffix that marked a derived substance, and it reached English as a chemical ending, where it names salts and esters of acids. Chemists attached it to the acid's name, so "erythorbic acid" yielded "erythorbate," just as "citric acid" yields "citrate."

Synonyms: antioxidants, food preservatives