FOOD ADDITIVES

What are food additives?

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 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.

Food additives are majorly classified in to

 Colorings
 Flavorings
 Preservatives
 Nutritional additives
 Nutritional improvers
 Improvers or physical conditioning additives

Colourings
Natural food colours occur naturally in food. They include:
1. Carotene or pro-vitamin A, a colouring pigment found in carrots, tomatoes, peppers,
peaches and some shell fish.
2. Chlorophyll a green colouring present in green vegetables.
3. Tannin, a brown pigment found in tea, coffee, cocoa, beer.
4. Caramel, a brown colour obtained from prolonged boiling of sugar.
5. Turmeric, a yellow spice used in curry and eastern dishes.
6. Annatto, a yellow colouring used to give butter and cheese a consistent yellow colour.
Synthetic food colour are mostly derived from mineral substances such as coal tar. These are
cheaper, more permanent ad available in a wider range of colours than the natural variety. Many
are positively safe and freely used in foods such as jam, ice cream, soft drinks, sweets and jelly.
Others are still being tested as it is feared they may be harmful in large quantities. Colourings are
not permitted in raw or cooked meat, poultry, fish, fruit, milk or cream and baby foods.
Bleaches are sometimes used in food production to remove colour, e.g. during flour manufacture
chlorine dioxide is used.

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 flavourings used in a wide
variety of foods, from confectionery and soft drinks to cereal, cake, and yoghurt. Natural
flavouring agents include nut, fruit and spice blends, as well as those derived from vegetables
and wine. In addition, there are flavourings that imitate natural flavours.

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 wine making 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, colouring, 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 mould, 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 colours 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

Acidulents 
 Confer sour or acid taste. Common acidulents include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid,
malic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid.
Acidity regulators 
Acidity regulators are used for controlling the pH of foods for stability or to affect
activity of enzymes.
Anticaking agents 
Anticaking agents keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking.
Antifoaming and foaming agents 
Antifoaming agents reduce or prevent foaming in foods. Foaming agents do the reverse.
Antioxidants 
Antioxidants such as vitamin C are preservatives by inhibiting the degradation of food by
oxygen.
Bulking agents 
Bulking agents such as starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without
affecting its taste.
Food coloring 
Colorings are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation or to make food
look more attractive.
Fortifying agents
Vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements to increase the nutritional value
Color retention agents 
In contrast to colorings, color retention agents are used to preserve a food's existing color.
Emulsifiers 
Emulsifiers allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an emulsion, as in
mayonnaise, ice cream, and homogenized milk.
Flavors 
Flavors are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from
natural ingredients or created artificially.
Flavor enhancers 
Flavor enhancers enhance a food's existing flavors. A popular example is monosodium
glutamate. Some flavor enhancers have their own flavors that are independent of the
food.
Flour treatment agents 
Flour treatment agents are added to flour to improve its color or its use in baking.
Glazing agents
Glazing agents provide a shiny appearance or protective coating to foods.
Humectants 
Humectants prevent foods from drying out.
Tracer gas
Tracer gas allow for package integrity testing to prevent foods from being exposed to
atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life.
Preservatives 
Preservatives prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to fungi, bacteria and other
microorganisms.
Stabilizers 
 Stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents, like agar or pectin (used in jam for example)
give foods a firmer texture. While they are not true emulsifiers, they help to stabilize
emulsions.
Sweeteners 
Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than sugar are added to
keep the food energy (calories) low, or because they have beneficial effects regarding
diabetes mellitus, tooth decay, or diarrhea.
Thickeners 
Thickening agents are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity
without substantially modifying its other properties.