A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COMMON FOOD ADDITIVES AND THEIR

DELETERIUOS EFFECT ON HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Karen Jitman-Sinanan and Dimple Singh-Ackbarali

FAO and WHO (2001)1. have defined Food additive as “any substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and TABLE 2: RECOMMENDED USE, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMAPCT OF ADDITIVE
not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition ADDITIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USE ADVERSE HEALTH IMPACTS ADVERSE
of which to food for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, ENVIRONMENTAL
treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result, IMPACTS
(directly or indirectly) in it or its by-products becoming a component of or otherwise affecting the characteristics of
Aspartame Aspartame has been approved Unlike other artificial
such foods.” For the purpose of Codex Alimentarius it should be noted that this definition does not apply to for use in food in more than 90 sweeteners this is actually
“contaminants” or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities. countries.2 fully metabolized by
Acceptable Daily Intake or (ADI) human body. So no issue
The primary objective of this study is to promote a heightened awareness in consumers to the safety of the of 40mg/kg bw/day was set for as with other products in
chemicals they use. The food additives investigated are; azodicarbonamide, aspartame and nitrates and nitrites. humans. This amount is the this category – no residues
equivalent of the quantity of when excreted or released
aspartame found in fifteen cans that wastewater treatment
Today’s customers are demanding, fast, convenient ready to eat foods or foods that have minimal cooking times (or over 5L) of diet soda per day. cannot handle, no residues
which are safe from pathogens, have a long shelf life, as well as an increase demand for sugar free or low calorie In the regulations for T&T Methanol is converted by an to accumulate and
foods. Aspartame is allowed up to 1000 enzyme in the body to decompose producing
ppm in carbonated beverages formaldehyde a human carcinogen  degradation products with
and the label must contain: diet Potential health risk to those born various properties which
This demand is being met with an increase use of food additives and preservatives in processed and packaged drink, sugar free, low calorie, with phenylketonuria (PKU) a rare may cause damage to
foods. In Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), our Minister of Health in an article in Newsday on November 2012 urged carbonated as well as “containing inherited disease. High levels can algae and aquatic fauna.
consumers to be aware of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and its links to childhood obesity. Many additives are phenylalanine and should not be lead to brain damage and
carcinogenic or become converted to carcinogenic chemicals during the production of the food to which they are taken by persons who are developmental problems.
suffering from phenylketonuria.” A study done on long term intake of
added and there are other health as well as environmental risks that are of concern with the use of additives. The In addition, when aspartame is aspartame on rats concluded that it
regulations regarding the use of Food additives in T&T are summarised in the Food and Drugs Act 30.01 of the Laws used as a sugar substitute for can lead to liver injury and
of Trinidad and Tobago and in the absence of regulations for the use of a particular additive the Minister has advised table use, the label must bear alterations in liver antioxidant
the use of the regulations in the Codex Alimentarius. instructions not to use it in status. 4
cooking or baking.3 3 independent studies have found
that consumption of aspartame
The results of the research are presented for each chemical in turn and the key points for all chemicals are causes cancer in rodents, and one
summarised in Tables 1 and 2. epidemiology study found evidence
that aspartame increases the risk of
cancer in men. 5
TABLE 1: NAME, FUNCTION AND FOODS TO WHICH ADDITIVES ARE ADDED The amount that people are
exposed to, by eating or drinking
food and drinks that contain
ADDITIVE NAME AND CHEMICAL AND COMMON NAMES FOOD TO WHICH THEY ARE ADDED aspartame is so small that it poses
FUNCTION ON FOOD LABELS no health risk.6
Aspartame (artificial Methyl L-α-aspartyl-L- Beverages including alcoholic ones, diet It causes headaches and dizziniess
sweetener, non-nutritive phenylalaninate, Aspartame, E951, carbonated sodas, breakfast cereal, in some.
sweetener) - Add sweetness Marketed under brand names – confectionery, chewing gum, gelatins,
with or without calories Aminosweet puddings, fillings, breath mints, yogurt-type
products, ready-to-thaw-and-eat cheesecakes,
fruit and fruit toppings, frozen dairy and non-
dairy frostings, toppings, and fillings, fruit
spreads, fruit toppings, and fruit syrups, ready
to bake products,

Nitrites (preservative) –
extend shelf life, color
formation, flavor
enhancement, and
antimicrobial activity
(Clostridium botulinum)
Azodicarbonamide (aging
and bleaching agent in
cereal and dough
conditioner in flour and
bread)
potassium nitrite E249 and sodium
nitrite E250
Azodicarbonamide, (ADA), (CAS No.
123-77-3) is a synthetic chemical
that exists at ambient temperature
as a yellow-orange crystalline solid
As a food additive-E927
Nitrites potassium nitrite E249; ADI 0.07
Traditionally immersion or dry cured meat mg/kg bw, sodium nitrite E250;
products – bacon, ham, sausages, pigtail, veal, ADI 0.1 mg/kg bw; potassium
briskets, tuna fish products, cured sablefish, and sodium nitrite may be safely
smoked, cured salmon, and smoked, cured used as a curing agent in the
shad. processing of cured, and smoked
Apart from being used as food meat and fish, in an amount not
preservatives, nitrites are also present in to exceed 200 parts per million in
considerable quantities in non-treated finished product. Approved also
vegetables and fruits. as a colour fixative agent for
cured and smoked products.
When labelled “for food use”,
nitrite may be sold only in a
Flour, Bakery products including bagels, mixture with salt or a salt
biscuits, breadsticks, croutons, muffins, rolls, substitute. If in a retail package
bread, submarine rolls, pastries and donuts. intended for household use, the
label of the additive, or of a
Products in Trinidad: Food Club Texas toast and
mixture containing the additive,
other bread and Farm Rich French toast sticks. shall bear the statement "Keep
Not listed as an additive in any brand of flour out of the reach of children“
surveyed. An unnamed bleaching agent is No mention of nitrites is made in
labelled. T&T regulations
The use of nitrites in meat may lead Marine Pollutant. If this
to formation of nitrosamines gets into waterway and soil
(carcinogenic molecules resulting then it can lead to soil
from the reaction of nitrites with salinization as well as be
secondary amines) posing a threat accumulated in the edible
to consumers 7, 8. Nitrites are vegetables that are
considered by some authors as exposed to it.
being carcinogenic, while others
consider plant nitrites important for
some physiological roles, e.g.
cardiovascular health and
gastrointestinal immune function9
Excess intake of nitrite is dangerous
and has deleterious effects on
human health, by oxidation of
oxyhemoglobin to ferrihemoglobin,
leading to methemoglobinemia10

Although considerable improvements have been achieved in terms of food additives, some are still enveloped in Azodicarb- The FDA permits its use up to During bread making ADA ADA released to surface
controversy. The lack of uniformity in worldwide laws regarding additives, along with conflicting results of many onamide 45ppm in dough and flour completely breaks down to form waters were found to be
studies help foster this controversy.  ADA which produces SEM a confirmed carcinogen in mice, at higher levels It is banned in the UK and most biurea, and small amounts of biodegradable in 2 out of 3
than consumed by humans is still being used as an additive in flour and bread in USA and there is no mention of of the European union states. urethane (ethyl bicarbamate) and tests and was degraded in
this additive in our regulations. In the CFDD of Trinidad and semicarbazide (SEM). Biurea poses soil by 20-70% over 14
Tobago there is no mention of no health risks but urethane is a days. No observed effect
ADA in its Division 12 on grain carcinogen11 SEM is a carcinogen for fish and the water flea
Safer alternatives for the additives in this study are: and baking products but not at levels found in bread12 it have been reported at 50
• Aspartame - Naturally occurring non-nutritive sweeteners such as Stevia 300 times sweeter than sucrose and increases the incident of tumours and 5 mg/litre respectively
known E960 in the EU. Also Thaumatin which is about 3000 times sweeter than sucrose GRAS in the United when fed to female mice
States, has an E number of 957
• Nitrites - Natural antimicrobials such as terpenes, peptides, polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds e.g.
carvacrol, thymol, and menthol, salt, saltpeter and sugar, sodium alginate and calcium lactinate and celery juice
• Azodicarbonamide - Enzymes are able to (partially) replace the chemical oxidizing agents in breadmaking e.g.
glucose oxidase and lipooxygenase13 Also Alphamalt AX enzyme produced by a German company is described
as superior to ADA in terms of dough handling, shelf life and crumb softness

Subsequent to this review, the authors propose an initiation for the generation of a local data base for products
containing the additives mentioned herein as well as for other additives with known adverse health and
environmental impacts.

The University of Trinidad and Tobago Research Symposium, 2019

1. FAO & WHO (2001). Codex Alimentarius Commission - Procedural Manual - Twelfth Edition. Rome, Italy.
2. Health Canada (2005). Aspartame. Health Canada.
3. Magnuson, B.A., Burdock, G., Doull, J. & Williams, G. (2007). Aspartame: A Safety Evaluation Based on Current Use Levels, Regulations, and Toxicological and Epidemiological Studies. Critical Reviews in Toxicology 37(8):629-727
4. Abilash, M., Sauganth Paul, M.V., Varghese, M.V. & Harikumaran Nair, R. (2011). Effect of long term intake of aspartame on antioxidant defense status in liver. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49, 6: 1203-1207
5. Soffritti, M., Padovani, M., Tbaldi, E., Falcioni, L., Manservisi, F. & Belpoggi, F. (2014). The carcinogenic effects of aspartame: the urgent need for regulatory re-evaluation. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 9999: 1-17.
6. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2013). Scientific opinion on the re-evaluation of aspartame (E951) as a food additive.
7. Sebranek, J. G. & Bacus, J.N.(2007). Cured meat products without direct addition of nitrate and nitrite: what are the issues? Meat Science, 77, 133-147.
8. Sindelar, J.J. & Milkowski, A.L. (2012). Human safety controversies surrounding nitrate and nitrite in the diet. Nitrix oxide, 26:4, 259-266.
9. Hord, N.G., Tang, Y., Bryan, N.S. (2009). Food sources of nitrates and nitrites: the psycologic contect for potential health benefits. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 90, 1-10.
10. Cammack, R., Joannau, C.L., Xiao-Yuan, C., Martinez, C.T., Maraj, S.R., Hughes, M.N. (1999). Nitrite and nitrosyl compounds in food preservation. Biochemica et Biophysica Acta, 14ll, 475-488.
11. Alldrick,A.J., (2012), Chemical contamination of cereals. Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition: (16), 421-446.
12. Becalski, A. Benjamin Lau P.-Y., Lewis, D., and Seaman, S.W.,(2004) Semicarbazide Formation in Azodicarbonamide-Treated Flour:  A Model Study. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 52 (18), 5730-734
13. Kornburst , B. A.,Formanl, T. , Mateeva, (2012) Applications of enzymes in breadmaking. Breadmaking (Second edition) Improving Quality. . Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition: (19), 470-498.