JEE Main 2023 · 25 January · evening · Single correct · +4 / −1
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion A and the other is labelled as Reason R
Assertion A : Butylated hydroxy anisole when added to butter increases its shelf life.
Reason R : Butylated hydroxy anisole is more reactive towards oxygen than food.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below
- (a) A is correct but R is not correct
- (b) Both A and R are correct but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
- (c) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
- (d) A is not correct but R is correct
Answer and solution
Answer (c) Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A
Solution
Chemistry ma’am · 5 steps
BHA is an antioxidant: it grabs oxygen before the fat in butter can, so the butter stays fresh longer.
- Why butter spoils. Fats in butter react slowly with oxygen in the air. This oxidation makes the butter rancid, with a bad smell and taste.
- Check Assertion A. Butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA) is a food antioxidant, a type of preservative. Added to butter, it slows rancidity and increases shelf life from months to years. So A is correct.
- Check Reason R. BHA reacts with oxygen more readily than the food does. It gets oxidised first, so the fat in the butter is protected. So R is correct.
- Link A and R. Butter keeps longer precisely because BHA is used up by oxygen in place of the fat. So R is the reason A happens.
- So. Both A and R are correct, and R is the correct explanation of A. The answer is (c).
The idea to keep. An antioxidant works as a sacrificial guard: it is more reactive towards oxygen than the food, so it is oxidised first and the food stays fresh. BHA and BHT are the standard examples.
Answer from the NTA final answer key. Solution by PrepWiser.