Food additives

FOOD   ADDITIVES 

Food produced on the large scale that is needed to supply supermarkets and other food shops has to be transported and stored before it is consumed. It has to stay in top condition over a much longer period of time than home cooked food. Additives are used so that these foods still have a consistently high quality.
The food additives are chemicals or ingredients which are added to food products for maintaining their stability.
Additives are artificial or natural chemicals, added to food for chemical and microbial stability of foods or delay or even stop food rancidity. Food additives do not have nutritive value, the intentional addition of additives for a technological purpose in the manufacture, preparation, processing, treatment, holding or packing of food.

FUNCTIONS OF FOOD ADDITIVES 

• Improve the taste or appearance of a processed food
• Improve the keeping quality or stability of a food
• Improve shelf life or storage time
• Ensure nutritional value

TYPES OF FOOD ADDITIVES   

• Direct or intentional food additives - which are added deliberately to improve its sensory quality, stability, ease in processing and retention of quality during handling and retailing.
• Indirect or unintentional food additives - which get included into food incidentally during handling, processing and packaging.

The different types of food additives and their uses:-

• Flavors -    Add flavor to the food.
• Flavor enhancers - Increase the power of a flavor.
• Foaming agents - Maintain uniform aeration of gases in foods.
• Anti- caking-agents - Stop ingredients from becoming lumpy
• Antioxidants - Prevents foods from oxidizing, or going rancid.
• Artificial sweeteners - Increase the sweetness.
• Emulsifiers - Stop fats from clotting together.
• Food acids - Maintain the right acid level.
• Colours - Enhance or add colour.
• Humectants - Keep foods moist.
• Mineral salts - Enhance texture and flavor.
• Preservatives - Stop microbes from multiplying and spoiling the food.
• Thickeners and vegetable gums - Enhance texture and consistency.
• Stabilizers and firming agents - Maintain even food dispersion.
• Flour treatment - Improves baking quality.
• Glazing agent - Improves appearance and can protect food.
• Gelling agents - Alter the texture of foods through gel formation.
• Bulking agents - Increase the volume of food without major changes to its available energy.
• Propellants - Help propel food from a container.
• Raising agent - Increase the volume of food through the use of gases. 

EFFECTS OF FOOD ADDITIVES:- 

 Immediate effects -

• Headache
• change in energy level
• Alteration in mental concentration, behavior, or immune response

Long term effects-

• Increase risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other degenerative conditions