Benders'dictionary of nutrition and food technology

31present in raw legumes (antitrypsin and antiamylase), anticholinesterase(solanine), anti-invertase. Most are proteins andare therefore inactivated by heat. Many intestinal parasites areprotected by antienzymes.antifoaming agents Octanol, sulphonated oils, silicones, etc. usedto reduce foaming caused by the presence of dissolved protein.antigalactic Drug that reduces or prevents the secretion of milkin women after parturition.antigen Any compound that is foreign to the body (e.g. bacterial,food or pollen protein, or some complex carbohydrates) which,when introduced into the circulation, stimulates the formation ofan antibody.See also adverse reactions to foods.anti-grey hair factor Deficiency of the vitamin pantothenic acidcauses loss of hair colour in black and brown rats, and at onetime the vitamin was known as the anti-grey hair factor. It is notrelated to the loss of hair pigment in human beings.antihaemorrhagic vitamin See vitamin k.antihistamine Drug that antagonises the actions of histamine;those that block histamine H 1 receptors are used to treat allergicreactions; those that block H 2 receptors are used to treatpeptic ulcers.antihypertensive Drug, diet or other treatment used to treathypertension by lowering blood pressure.antilipidaemic Drug, diet or other treatment used to treat hyperlipidaemiaby lowering blood lipids.antimetabolite Compound that inhibits a normal metabolicprocess, acting as an analogue of a normal metabolite. Some areuseful in chemotherapy of cancer, others are naturally occurringtoxins in foods, frequently causing vitamin deficiency diseases byinhibiting the normal metabolism of the vitamin.See also antivitamins.antimicrobial agents Compounds used to preserve food by preventinggrowth of micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi).antimony Toxic metal of no known metabolic function, so not adietary essential. Antimony compounds are used in treatment ofsome parasitic diseases.antimotility agents Drugs used to reduce gastrointestinal motility,and hence reduce the discomfort associated with diarrhoea:codeine phosphate, co-phenotrope (diphenoxylate plus atropinesulphate), loperamide, morphine.antimutagen Compound acting on cells and tissues to decreaseinitiation of mutation by a mutagen.antimycotics (antimould agents) Substances that inhibit thegrowth of moulds and fungi. Sorbates (E-200–203), benzoates