Food Additives
• DEFINITION OF FOOD ADDITIVES
• MAIN FUNCTION FOOD ADDITIVES
• COMMON TYPES OF FOOD ADDITIVES
• DANGEROUS ADDITIVES TO REMOVE FROM
YOUR DIET.
DEFINE - FOOD ADDITIVE
History- preservation survival
Food additive is any substance not naturally present in a food but added
during its preparation and remaining in the finished product.
Food additives are all substances added (intentionally or unintentionally) to
basic food products. They include anything added during the production,
processing, treatment, packaging, transport and storage of a food.
Classification
Direct/ indirect
Natural /artificial
Over 3000 additives
FUNCTIONS OF FOOD ADDITIVE
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In general, food additives are used to
preserving foods for survival
decrease the risk of contamination by certain microbes
maintain or improve nutritional quality
enhance appearance, flavour,
control the acidity and alkalinity of food and provide
leavening
• increase shelf life
• reduce waste or
• contribute to convenience.
ADVANTAGES OF FOOD ADDITIVES
• In the present context, the use of food
additives is imperative.
• Additives provide protection against food
spoilage during storage, transportation,
distribution or processing.
• With the present degree of urbanization, it
would be impossible to maintain food
distribution without the processing and
packing with which many additives are
involved.
• The convenience food revolution would not
have been possible without food additives.
TYPES OF FOOD ADDITIVE
• Additives described as generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS),
mean that they have been used for many years without any
know adverse efforts, for example, salt, sugar and vinegar.
• Colours (natural colours, natural identical colours, synthetic
colours )
• Flavours
• Emulsifiers
• Gelling agents
• Preservatives
• Sweeteners
• Ant caking agents
• Antioxidants
• Acidulants
FOOD INGREDIENT – (E-CODE)
• E-Numbers represent specific food additives, used by the
food industry in the manufacturing of various food
products. These E-Numbers have been formulated by the
European Economic Community (EEC) and are adopted by
the food industry worldwide.
• The E numbering system was developed in order to keep
track the massive amounts of additives available in the
market and it became a legal requirement on packaging in
the 1980s.
• In order to standardize and avoid confusion, each additive is
assigned its own unique number. At a later stage, the
numbering system was adapted for international use by the
Codex Alimentarius Commission, hence the International
Numbering System (INS).
Additive Class
Function
Colours and
adjuncts
Provide,
preserve or
enhance the
colour of a
food
Chemical
substance
Annatto, carotene,
cochineal,
chlorophyll, nitrates
Red – Ponceau4 R,
carmoisine
erythrosine
Yellow -Tartrazine,
Sunset yellow FCF
Blue-indigocarmine,
Brilliant Blue FCF
Green – Fast green
FCF
Foods in which
used
Ice- cream,
biscuits, cakes
confectionery
sweets, savouries
fruit syrup, fruit
squash, fruit drink
and beverage, soft
drink, jam,
200 mg/kg.
permitted
Additive
Class
Flavour
Enhancers
Flavouring
agents and
adjuvant
Function
Supplement,
enhance or modify
the original flavor
or aroma of a food
with
out
contributing
flavours of their
own.
Impart or help
impart a taste or an
aroma in food
Chemical
substance
Foods in which
used
Monosodium
Masalas/spices used
glutamate (up to in noodles/Chinese
1%) and yeast.
cookery.
Natural extracts Soft drinks,
and synthetic
confectionery,
flavor chemicals chewing gum.
are used,
Basically they are
aldehydes,
ketones, hydroxyl
and ester or
etheric in nature.
Additive Class
Emulsifiers
Function
Prevent
the
separation of oil
and
water.
Provide surface
wetting,
lubrication and
viscosity change.
In combination
with thickeners
and fats, they
give a smooth
pleasing
sensation in the
mouth.
Chemical
substance
Foods in which
used
Ammonium
Chocolate making,
phospatides,
cheese making
lecithin,
Sorbitous and
polyoxyethylene
in combination
with fatty acids
Additive Class
Antimicrobial Agents
Curing and pickling
agents
Maintain appearance
palatability and
wholesomeness
Function
Prevent the
growth of bacteria,
moulds, fungi and
yeast
Chemical
substance
Benzoic acid, esters of phydroxy – benzoic acid, o –
chlorobenzoic
acid
or
salicylic acid sulbhites
sodium benzoate and
sorbic acid.
Impart unique
Sodium
nitrite
gets
flavor or colour to converted to nitric oxide
a food, often
which
combines
with
increase shelf life myoglobin to form nitric
and stability.
oxide myoglobin, inhibits
growth of clostridium and
streptococcus.
To prevent
Propionic acid Calcium and
spoilage caused by sodium salts or Propionic
moulds, bacteria, acid ascorbic acid,
yeast
Butylated hydroxyanisole
(BHA) Butylated hydroxyl
toluene (BHT) propylene
glycol
Foods in
which used
Squashes, crushes
Meat
Bread, pie filling,
cakes mixes potato
chips, crackers,
cheese, syrup, fruit
juices, frozen and
dried fruits
margarine,
shortening.
Additive
Class
Anticaking,
free flowing
agents
Function
Prevent
lumping and
caking
absorbing
moisture
Chemical
substance
Foods in which
used
Carbonates and Table salt, instant
phosphates of Ca mix; 2% is
and Mg, Silicates permitted
of Ca, Mg, Al and
Na, SiO2 AND
Al,Ca, K, Na or
NH4
Salts
of
myristic
acid,
palmitic acid and
stearic acid
Additive
Class
Function
Antioxidants
Prevent flavor
and colour
changes and
retard rancidity
and
deterioration
from exposure
to oxygen
Chemical
substance
Lecithin, vitamin
C
and
tocopherols, citric
acid, tartaric acid
and gallic acid,
Ethyl,
propyl,
Octyl and dodecyl
gallates (0.01%)
and
butylated
hydroxy anisole
(BHA)0.02%
Foods in which
used
Dry mix,
rasogollas, vadas,
ghee and butter,
Edible oils and fats
Additive
Class
Sweeteners
non - nutritive
Sweeteners
nutritive
Function
Chemical
substance
Aspartame (fruit
flavour)
Acesulfame - k
Foods in which
used
Soft drinks, chewing
gum, instant coffee
and tea.
Provide less than
2% of the caloric
value of sucrose
per equivalent unit
of sweetening
capacity when
used to sweeten
the food.
Provide greater
Sorbitol mannitol Chocolates, ice –
than 2% of the
– other polyols. cream, pastries
caloric value of
jams, drinks.
sucrose per equi
valent unit of
sweetening
capacity when
used to sweeten
the food.
Additive
Class
Enzymes
Neutralizing
agents
Function
Digestion
clarification
Chemical
substance
Foods in which
used
and Pepsin, rennet, Cheese making,
papain,
tenderizing meat,
amylase,
beverage clarifying
pectinase
To remove excess Alkaline Salts of
acidity
Na, K, Mg and
Ca
Stabilizing
Help in ensuring a Caragean gums,
agents
stable emulsion gum arabi
emulsifier/
thickener
Firming Agents To retain texture CaCO3, Sodium
of canned fruit aluminium
and vegetables
sulphate,
Calcium citrate.
Wine, ice – cream
Chocolate in milk,
ice- cream, foam
stabilizer in beer.
Canned tomatoes
Additive Class
Function
Chemical
Foods in which
substance
used
Humectants
Prevents undesirable Giycerin, sorbitol
Shredder coconut
drying of foods and mannitol, dextrose
to maintain the
and corn syrup.
moisture level.
Sequestrant
Prevent the
Ca – EDTA,
Soft drink industries,
(Chelating agents) deterioration of food phosphates like
malted beverages.
due to free metallic KH2PO4, Organic
ions in it
acids like tartaric
discoloration, flavor acid and citric acid
alteration, oxidation and glycerin.
or turbidity
formation.
Flour improvers
For bleaching
Benzoyl peroxide, Flour
purposes and for
chlorine gas, CIO2
dough toughening
NO2, N2 O4 have
purposes by
both the
converting protein
properties, KBrO3,
SH grouping in to
KIO3, CaO2 and
disulphide bonds
Ca(IO3) (Oxidising
agents)
Additive
Class
Propellants,
aerating agents
and gases
Function
Supply force to
expel a product
Chemical
Foods in which
substance
used
CO2 gas and Na2 Soft drinks, alcoholic
CO3 or CaCO3
beverages.
with an acid to
generate gas.
Solvents and
vehicles
Extract or dissolve Ethyl alcohol,
Vanilla extract
another substance propylene glycol,
glycerin, oils and
fatty acids
Leaving agents
To increase in
volume of dough
or batter resulting
in light fluffy,
spongy, produce or
stimulate CO2
production in
baked goods.
Baking powder
Bread, biscuits,
Sodium
cakes
bicarbonate with
another acid
component like
tartaric acid or
calcium hydrogen
phosphate.
Additive
Class
Clouding
agents
Clarifying
agents
Nutritive
additives
Function
Chemical
substance
To products haze Calcium
in liquid foods
phosphate
cellulose
derivatives,
gums and
starches
To remove
Bentonite,
cloudiness
tannic acid and
gelatin
To make up for
Thiamin iron,
the shortage or
calcium, iodine
processing losers lysine,vitamin A
or to fortify the
and D
product
Foods in which
used
Liquid foods
Fruit juices, beer,
wines
Milk, salt, wheat
flour, bread oil,
vanaspathi.
ASSIGNMENT
• Take any 5 processed food packets available in
the Indian market
• Click a photo of the ingredient list/ cut out
and stick
• Identify the additives present in the given
sample
• Also from the E-code identify the additive
present