food additives
food additives
contents of an article:-
- what is the " food additives"?
- groups food additives into 3 broad categories based on their function.
- Why Are Food and Color Ingredients Added to Food?
- What Is a Color Additive?
- Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?
- 10 food additives to avoid
- How do I know which additives are in my food?
what is the " food additives"?
what is the food additives
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste, appearance, or other qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as with wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the twentieth century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin
Substances that are added to food to maintain or improve
the safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance of food
are known as food additives. Some food additives have
been in use for centuries for preservation – such as salt (in
meats such as bacon or dried fish), sugar (in marmalade),
or sulfur dioxide (in wine).
Many different food additives have been developed over
time to meet the needs of food production, as making food
on a large scale is very different from making them on a
a small scale at home. Additives are needed to ensure
processed food remains safe and in good condition
throughout its journey from factories or industrial kitchens,
during transportation to warehouses and shops, and finally
to consumers.
The use of food additives is only justified when their use
has a technological need, does not mislead consumers,
and serves a well-defined technological function, such as to preserve the nutritional quality of the food or enhance the stability of the food.
Food additives can be derived from plants, animals, or minerals,or they can be synthetic. They are added intentionally to food to perform certain technological
purposes which consumers often take for granted. There
are several thousand food additives used, all of which are
designed to do a specific job in making food safer or more appealing
. WHO, together with FAO,
groups food additives into 3 broad categories based on their function
Flavouring agents
Flavouring agents – which are added to food to improve aroma or taste
– make up the greatest number of additives
used in foods. There are hundreds of varieties of
flavorings used in a wide variety of foods, from confectionery and soft drinks to cereal,
cake, and yoghurt.
Natural flavoring agents include nut, fruit and spice blends
, as well as those derived from vegetables and wine.
In addition, there are flavorings that imitate natural
flavors.
Enzyme preparations
Enzyme preparations are a type of additive that may or
may not end up in the final food product. Enzymes are
naturally-occurring proteins that boost biochemical
reactions by breaking down larger molecules into their
smaller building blocks. They can be obtained by extraction
from plants or animal products or from micro-organisms
such as bacteria and are used as alternatives to chemical-
based technology. They are mainly used in baking (to
improve the dough), for manufacturing fruit juices (to
increase yields), in winemaking and brewing (to improve
fermentation), as well as in cheese manufacturing (to
improve curd formation).
Other additives
Other food additives are used for a variety of reasons, such
as preservation, coloring, and sweetening. They are
added when food is prepared, packaged, transported, or
stored, and they eventually become a component of the food.
Preservatives can slow decomposition caused by mold,
air, bacteria, or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality
of the food, preservatives help control contamination that
can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening
botulism.
Colouring is added to food to replace colors lost during
preparation, or to make food look more attractive.
Non-sugar sweeteners are often used as an alternative to
sugar because they contribute fewer or no calories when
added to food.
For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Our ancestors used salt to preserve meats and fish, added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods, preserved fruit with sugar, and pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenient, colorful and affordable. Food additives and advances in technology help make that possible.
There are thousands of ingredients used to make foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3000 ingredients in its database "Everything Added to Food in the United States", many of which we use at home every day (e.g., sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, yeast, spices, and colors).
Still, some consumers have concerns about additives because they may see the long, unfamiliar names and think of them as complex chemical compounds. In fact, every food we eat - whether a just-picked strawberry or a homemade cookie - is made up of chemical compounds that determine flavor, color, texture and nutrient value. All food additives are carefully regulated by federal authorities and various international organizations to ensure that foods are safe to eat and are accurately labeled.
The purpose of this brochure is to provide helpful background information about food and color additives: what they are, why they are used in foods and how they are regulated for safe use.
Why Are Food and Color Ingredients Added to Food?
why are food and color ingredients added to food
Additives perform a variety of useful functions in foods that consumers often take for granted. Some additives could be eliminated if we were willing to grow our own food, harvest and grind it, spend many hours cooking and canning or accept increased risks of food spoilage. But most consumers today rely on the many technological, aesthetic and convenient benefits that additives provide.
Following are some reasons why ingredients are added to foods:
- To Maintain or Improve Safety and Freshness: Preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism. One group of preservatives -- antioxidants -- prevents fats and oils and the foods containing them from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor. They also prevent cut fresh fruits such as apples from turning brown when exposed to air.
- To Improve or Maintain Nutritional Value: Vitamins and minerals (and fiber) are added to many foods to make up for those lacking in a person's diet or lost in processing, or to enhance the nutritional quality of a food. Such fortification and enrichment has helped reduce malnutrition in the U.S. and worldwide. All products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled.
- Improve Taste, Texture, and Appearance: Spices, natural and artificial flavors, and sweeteners are added to enhance the taste of food. Food colors maintain or improve appearance. Emulsifiers, stabilizers, and thickeners give foods the texture and consistency consumers expect. Leavening agents allow baked goods to rise during baking. Some additives help control the acidity and alkalinity of foods, while other ingredients help maintain the taste and appeal of foods with reduced fat content.
What Is a Food Additive?
In its broadest sense, a food additive is any substance added to food. Legally, the term refers to "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result -- directly or indirectly -- in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food." This definition includes any substance used in the production, processing, treatment, packaging, transportation or storage of food. The purpose of the legal definition, however, is to impose a premarket approval requirement. Therefore, this definition excludes ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe (where government approval is not needed), those ingredients approved for use by FDA or the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to the food additives provisions of law, and color additives and pesticides where other legal premarket approval requirements apply.
Direct food additives are those that are added to a food for a specific purpose in that food. For example, xanthan gum -- used in salad dressings, chocolate milk, bakery fillings, puddings and other foods to add texture -- is a direct additive. Most direct additives are identified on the ingredient label of foods.
Indirect food additives are those that become part of the food in trace amounts due to its packaging, storage or another handling. For instance, minute amounts of packaging substances may find their way into foods during storage. Food packaging manufacturers must prove to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that all materials coming in contact with food are safe before they are permitted for use in such a manner.
What Is a Color Additive?
what is the color additive
A color additive is any dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to a food, drug or cosmetic, or to the human body, is capable (alone or through reactions with other substances) of imparting color. FDA is responsible for regulating all color additives to ensure that foods containing color additives are safe to eat, contain only approved ingredients and are accurately labeled.
Color additives are used in foods for many reasons: 1) to offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; 2) to correct natural variations in color; 3) to enhance colors that occur naturally, and 4) to provide color to colorless and "fun" foods. Without color additives, colas wouldn't be brown, margarine wouldn't be yellow and mint ice cream wouldn't be green. Color additives are now recognized as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat.
FDA's permitted colors are classified as subject to certification or exempt from certification, both of which are subject to rigorous safety standards prior to their approval and listing for use in foods.
- Certified colors are synthetically produced (or human-made) and used widely because they impart an intense, uniform color, are less expensive and blend more easily to create a variety of hues. There are nine certified color additives approved for use in the United States (e.g., FD&C Yellow No. 6. See chart for a complete list.). Certified food colors generally do not add undesirable flavors to foods.
- Colors that are exempt from certification include pigments derived from natural sources such as vegetables, minerals or animals. Nature-derived color additives are typically more expensive than certified colors and may add unintended flavors to foods. Examples of exempt colors include annatto extract (yellow), dehydrated beets (bluish-red to brown), caramel (yellow to tan), beta-carotene (yellow to orange) and grape skin extract (red, green).
Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?
additives cause childhood hyperactivity
A. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, results from studies on this issue either have been inconclusive, inconsistent, or difficult to interpret due to inadequacies in study design. A Consensus Development Panel of the National Institutes of Health concluded in 1982 that for some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and confirmed food allergy, the dietary modification has produced some improvement in behavior. Although the panel said that elimination diets should not be used universally to treat childhood hyperactivity, since there is no scientific evidence to predict which children may benefit, the panel recognized that initiation of a trial of dietary treatment or continuation of a diet in patients whose families and physicians perceive benefits may be warranted. However, a 1997 review published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry noted there is minimal evidence of efficacy and extreme difficulty inducing children and adolescents to comply with restricted diets. Thus, dietary treatment should not be recommended, except possibly with a small number of preschool children who may be sensitive to tartrazine, known commonly as FD&C Yellow No.5 (See question below). In 2007, synthetic certified color additives again came under scrutiny following the publication of a study commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency to investigate whether certain color additives cause hyperactivity in children. Both the FDA and the European Food Safety Authority independently reviewed the results from this study and each has concluded that the study does not substantiate a link between the color additives that were tested and behavioral effects.
10 Food Additives to Avoid
10 food additives to avoid
Some food additives are worse than others. Here’s a list of the top food additives to avoid:
1. Artificial Sweeteners2. High Fructose Corn Syrup 3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG / E621) 4. Trans Fat
5. Common Food Dyes ( Studies show that artificial colorings which are found in soda, fruit juices, and salad dressings, may contribute to behavioral problems in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ. Animal studies have linked some food colorings to cancer. Watch out for these ones:
Blue #1 and Blue #2 (E133)
Banned in Norway, Finland, and France. May cause chromosomal damage.
Found in candy, cereal, soft drinks, sports drinks and pet foods.
Red dye # 3 (also Red #40 – a more current dye) (E124)
Banned in 1990 after 8 years of debate from use in many foods and cosmetics. This dye continues to be on the market until supplies run out! Has been proven to cause thyroid cancer and chromosomal damage in laboratory animals, may also interfere with brain-nerve transmission.
Found in fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, cherry pie mix, ice cream, candy, bakery products and more!
Yellow #6 (E110) and Yellow Tartrazine (E102)
Banned in Norway and Sweden. Increases the number of kidney and adrenal gland tumors in laboratory animals, may cause chromosomal damage.
Found in American cheese, macaroni and cheese, candy and carbonated beverages, lemonade and more!)
6. Sodium Sulfite (E221)
7. Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite
8. BHA And BHT (E320)
9. Sulfur Dioxide (E220)
10. Potassium Bromate
How do I know which additives are in my food?
The Codex Alimentarius Commission also establishes standards and guidelines on food labeling. These standards are implemented in most countries, and food manufacturers are obliged to indicate which additives are in their products. In the European Union, for example, there is legislation governing labeling of food additives according to a set of pre-defined “E-numbers”. People who have allergies or sensitivities to certain food additives should check labels carefully.
WHO encourages national authorities to monitor and ensure that food additives in food and drinks produced in their countries comply with permitted uses, conditions, and legislation. National authorities should oversee the food business, which carries the primary responsibility for ensuring that the use of a food additive is safe and complies with legislation.
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