Reasons for and against the use of food additives
- Food additives keep food safe by lengthening the shelf life. Many foods are kept safe to eat for longer through the use of preservatives (e.g., meat). ...
- Food additives can make foods more appealing by enhancing the flavour, colour or texture. ...
- Food additives can enrich foods and improve or maintain nutritional value ...
Which chemicals are widely used as food additives, and why?
The chemicals that are added to food to prevent it from spoiling are called chemical preservatives. In our country, two chemical preservatives which are permitted for use are: 1. Benzoic acid (Sodium benzoate) Benzoic acid or its sodium salt, sodium benzoate, is widely used to preserve food.
What are the benefits of Adding additives to food?
Food additives are used to extend a meal's shelf life. One of the major benefits of food additives is longer shelf life. For centuries, humans have used salt and other naturally occurring substances to help preserve meat and other foods. Newer, chemically derived preservatives can keep food fresh and ready to eat for extra months or years.
What are disadvantages of food additives?
The Disadvantages of Using Food Additives
- Can Cause Allergies. A number of additives can cause allergic reactions. ...
- Cancer Risk. The position of the FDA is that none of the food additives on the market are dangerous 2. ...
- They Trick the Eye. Much of the enjoyment of food comes from the way it looks. ...
- They Replace Real Ingredients. ...
What you should know about food additives?
What You Should Know About Common Food Additives
- Cellulose. Every so often, mainstream media seizes on this one for some headline sensationalism. ...
- BHA and BHT. BHA stands for butylated hydroxyanisole, and BHT is the equally confounding butylated hydroxytoluene.
- MSG. ...
- Aspartame. ...
- Xanthan gum. ...
- Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. ...
- Guar gum. ...
- Natural Red 4. ...
- Soy lecithin. ...
- Fluoride. ...
Why are additives added to food?
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.
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.
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.
How Are Additives Approved for Use in Foods?
To market a new food or color additive (or before using an additive already approved for one use in another manner not yet approved), a manufacturer or other sponsor must first petition FDA for its approval. These petitions must provide evidence that the substance is safe for the ways in which it will be used. As a result of recent legislation, since 1999, indirect additives have been approved via a premarket notification process requiring the same data as was previously required by petition.
How to list ingredients on food labels?
A . Food manufacturers are required to list all ingredients in the food on the label. On a product label, the ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. The label must list the names of any FDA-certified color additives (e.g., FD&C Blue No. 1 or the abbreviated name, Blue 1). But some ingredients can be listed collectively as "flavors," "spices," "artificial flavoring," or in the case of color additives exempt from certification, "artificial colors", without naming each one. Declaration of an allergenic ingredient in a collective or single color, flavor, or spice could be accomplished by simply naming the allergenic ingredient in the ingredient list.
What are some of the ingredients that 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.
How many ingredients are in food?
There are thousands of ingredients used to make foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3000 ingredients in its data base "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 ...
Why are additives added to food?
Additives such as bulking agents or flavour enhancers may be added to lower quality food products to make them appear more attractive to consumers.
How do additives make food more appealing?
Food additives can make foods more appealing by enhancing the flavour, colour or texture. Manufacturers may add flavour enhancers, sweeteners, colours or thickeners to a food to make it more enjoyable for consumers by improving the final look and feel of the product.
Why are foods kept on a shelf longer?
Many foods are kept safe to eat for longer through the use of preservatives (e.g., meat). These additives protect consumers from food-borne illnesses through limiting the growth of harmful bacteria. This allows foods to be kept on a shelf for longer and helps reduce waste.
What are some examples of food additives?
Some foods have additives added which improve the nutritional composition of the product. For example, by adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to a food.
Is food additive bad for you?
Food additives have been linked with adverse health effects such as cancer and allergic reactions. There are some additives that have controversial research linking them with carcinogenic (cancer-causing) properties. For example, sodium nitrite, used to preserve meat has been linked to increased levels of bowel cancer.
Can food coloring cause hyperactivity?
Some food colourings and preservatives have been linked to hyperactivity in children when consumed in extremely high quantities.
What is the purpose of food additives?
Food additives are used in a wide range of applications, including food and oil processing, condiment processing, snack foods, fruit and vegetable preservation, etc., as well as our daily meals many times also need food additives, it is no exaggeration to say that if there are no food additives, there is no modern food industry. 2.
What are additives in food?
Food additives are synthetic or natural substances that can improve the quality, color and aroma of food and are added to food according to the needs of preserving, preserving and processing processes .
What is flavor enhancer?
Flavor enhancers are to supplement or enhance the original flavor of food substances, some foods add flavor enhancers, can present a fresh taste, increase appetite and rich nutrition. China allows the use of amino acid type and nucleotide type flavor enhancers, there are 5'-guanosine disodium, 5'-disodium inosinate, 5'-tasting nucleotide disodium, ...
How many types of food additives are there?
4. Types of Food Additives. In terms of types, there are 22 types of food additives, the following are the most commonly used.
Why are thickeners important?
Thickeners can also play a role in emulsification and stabilization. Food thickeners play a very important role in maintaining the color, flavor, taste, structure and stability of fluid food, jelly food.
Does yogurt have preservatives?
Another point is that some foods simply do not need to add food additives, such as yogurt itself cannot add syrup, color and preservatives, a relatively short shelf life, you can naturally promote "natural, no high fruit syrup, no artificial color, no preservatives. 7. Conclusion.
Is food additive the same as illegal?
Food additives are not the same as illegal additives. The reason why there is always such news, mainly because some unscrupulous businesses for profit and other reasons, the use of "illegal additives", such as melamine, industrial gelatin, etc., these are not state-approved food additives, which are inedible substances.
Abstract
Why Do We Need Additives in Processed Food Products? Dr. MY Kamatar Principal Investigator, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad- 580005, Karnataka Food additives are widely used in our food supply especially in pre-packaged foods like ready-to-eat meals, canned foods, frozen entrees, bread, processed meat and snack foods.
References (0)
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
What Are Food Additives?
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 a…
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 ch…
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 ...
Who Response
- Evaluating the health risk of food additives
WHO, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is responsible for assessing the risks to human health from food additives. Risk assessment of food additives are conducted by an independent, international expert scientific group – the Joint FAO… - International standards for the safe use of food additives
The safety assessments completed by JECFA are used by the joint intergovernmental food standard-setting body of FAO and WHO, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, to establish levels for maximum use of additives in food and drinks. Codex standards are the reference for nationa…