| Food Additive |
Article Index for Food |
Website Links For Food |
Information AboutFood Additive |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT FOOD ADDITIVE | |
| food additives | |
| food science | |
|
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by Pickling (with Vinegar ), Salt ing, as with Bacon , preserving Sweets or using Sulfur Dioxide as in some Wine s. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th Century , many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin. NUMBERING To regulate these additives, and inform consumers, each additive is assigned a unique number. Initially these were the " E Number s" used in Europe for all approved additives. This numbering scheme has now been adopted and extended by the Codex Alimentarius Committee to internationally identify all additives, regardless of whether they are approved for use. E numbers are all prefixed by " E ", but countries outside Europe use only the number, whether the additive is approved in Europe or not. For example, Acetic Acid is written as E260 on products sold in Europe, but is simply known as additive 260 in some countries. Additive 103, Alkanet , is not approved for use in Europe so does not have an E number, although it is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand . The United States Food And Drug Administration listed these items as " Generally Recognized As Safe " or GRAS and these are listed under both their Chemical Abstract Services number and FDA regulation listed under the US Code Of Federal Regulations
CATEGORIES Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them. ;Acids : Food Acid s are added to make flavors "sharper", and also act as preservatives and antioxidants. Common food acids include Vinegar , Citric Acid , Tartaric Acid , Malic Acid , Fumaric Acid , Lactic Acid . ;Acidity regulators : Acidity Regulator s are used to change or otherwise control the acidity and Alkalinity of foods. ;Anticaking agents : Anticaking Agent s keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking. ;Antifoaming agents : Antifoaming Agent s reduce or prevent foaming in foods. ;Antioxidants : Antioxidant s such as Vitamin C act as preservatives by inhibiting the effects of Oxygen on food, and can be beneficial to health. ;Bulking agents : Bulking Agent s such as Starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without affecting its nutritional value. ;Food coloring : Colorings are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation, or to make food look more attractive. ;Color retention agents : In contrast to colorings, Color Retention Agent s are used to preserve a food's existing color. ;Emulsifiers : Emulsifier s allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an Emulsion , as in Mayonnaise , Ice Cream , and homogenized Milk . ;Flavours : Flavor s are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially. ;Flavour enhancers : Flavor Enhancer s enhance a food's existing flavors. They maybe extracted from natural sources (through Distillation , Solvent Extraction , Maceration , among other methods) or created artificially. ;Flour treatment agents : Flour Treatment Agent s are added to Flour to improve its color or its use in Baking . ;Humectants : Humectant s prevent foods from drying out. ;Preservatives : Preservative s prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to Fungi , Bacteria and other Microorganism s. ;Stabilizers : Stabilizer s, thickeners and gelling agents, like Agar or Pectin (used in Jam for example) give foods a firmer texture. While they are not true Emulsifier s, they help to stabilize Emulsion s. ;Sweeteners : Sweetener s are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than Sugar are added to keep the Food Energy ( Calorie s) low, or because they have beneficial effects for Diabetes Mellitus and Tooth Decay and Diarrhea . ;Thickeners : Thickener s are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its Viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties. OTHER INFO Food additives have been used for centuries. Salt, sugar and vinegar were among the first and used to preserve foods. In the past 30 years, however, with the advent of processed foods, there has been a massive explosion in the chemical adulteration of foods with additives. Considerable controversy has been associated with the potential threats and possible benefits of food additives. Most food additives are considered safe. However, some are known to be carcinogenic or toxic. Hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma, and migraines are often associated with adverse reactions to food additives. Since 1987 Australia has had an approved system of labelling for additives in packaged foods. Each food additive has to be named or numbered. The numbers are the same as in Europe, but without the prefix 'E'. REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|