Antioxidants, including tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), ferulic acid, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and vitamin C (V-C), and their corresponding oxidation products, were tested for their influence on elimination of acrylamide and inhibition of acrylamide formation. Our experimental results showed that the antioxidants could neither effectively destruct acrylamide nor inhibit (or even promote) its formation, but their corresponding oxidation products were able to directly destruct acrylamide and its precursor, asparagine, thus inhibit acrylamide formation. Moreover, a positive correlation between the carbonyl value and acrylamide formation was observed in a frying oil-asparagine reaction model system, suggesting that antioxidants can inhibit acrylamide formation by inhibiting oil carbonyl compounds formation. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.