Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines. Pickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving Food by Anaerobic fermentation in Brine (a solution Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants Bacon is a cut of Meat taken from the sides belly or back of a Pig that has been cured, smoked, or both Confectionery is a set of Food items that are rich in Sugar; modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.

1 Numbering
2 Categories
3 Other Info
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Numbering

To regulate these additives, and inform consumers, each additive is assigned a unique number. Initially these were the "E numbers" used in Europe for all approved additives. E numbers are number codes for Food additives and are usually found on Food labels throughout the European Union. This numbering scheme has now been adopted and extended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to internationally identify all additives, regardless of whether they are approved for use. The Codex Alimentarius (Latin for "food code" or "food book" is a collection of internationally recognized standards codes of practice guidelines and other recommendations

E numbers are all prefixed by "E", but countries outside Europe use only the number, whether the additive is approved in Europe or not. E is the fifth letter in the Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled e (iː plural es or ees (also written E's E For example, acetic acid is written as E260 on products sold in Europe, but is simply known as additive 260 in some countries. Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid, is an organic chemical compound, giving Vinegar its sour taste Additive 103, alkanet, is not approved for use in Europe so does not have an E number, although it is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Since 1987 Australia has had an approved system of labelling for additives in packaged foods. Each food additive has to be named or numbered. The numbers are the same as in Europe, but without the prefix 'E'.

The United States Food and Drug Administration listed these items as "Generally recognized as safe" or GRAS and these are listed under both their Chemical Abstract Services number and FDA regulation listed under the US Code of Federal Regulations

See list of food additives for a complete list of all the names. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Generally Recognized as Safe ( GRAS) is a United States of America Food and Drug Administration (FDA designation that a chemical or substance added to food Generally Recognized as Safe ( GRAS) is a United States of America Food and Drug Administration (FDA designation that a chemical or substance added to food CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for Chemical compounds Polymers biological sequences mixtures and Alloys They are also referred to The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the This is an alphabetical list of Food additives For related lists see also List of food additives Codex Alimentarius and E number.
See E number for the numbers. E numbers are number codes for Food additives and are usually found on Food labels throughout the European Union.

Categories

Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them.

Acids: Food acids are added to make flavors "sharper", and also act as preservatives and antioxidants. In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are Common food acids include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid. Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid Citric acid is a weak organic Acid. It is a natural Preservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and Soft drinks Tartaric acid is a white crystalline Organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants particularly Grapes Bananas and Tamarinds and is Malic acid is an Organic compound with the formula HO2CCH2CHOHCO2H Fumaric acid is the Chemical compound with the formula HO2CCH=CHCO2H Lactic acid ( IUPAC Systematic name: 2-hydroxypropanoic acid) also known as milk acid, is a Chemical compound that plays a role
Acidity regulators: Acidity regulators are used to change or otherwise control the acidity and alkalinity of foods. Acidity regulators, or pH control agents, are Food additives added to change or maintain PH ( Acidity or Basicity) In Chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: Al-Qaly القلي القالي) is a basic, ionic salt of an Alkali metal
Anticaking agents: Anticaking agents keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking. Anticaking agents are used in such things as table Salt to keep the product from forming lumps making it better for packaging transport and for the consumer
Antifoaming agents: Antifoaming agents reduce or prevent foaming in foods. An antifoaming agent is a chemical additive that inhibits the formation of Foam.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants such as vitamin C act as preservatives by inhibiting the effects of oxygen on food, and can be beneficial to health. An antioxidant is a Molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules Vitamin C or L-ascorbate is an Essential nutrient for a large number of higher primate species a small number of other Mammalian Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the
Bulking agents: Bulking agents such as starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without affecting its nutritional value. Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide
Food coloring: Colorings are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation, or to make food look more attractive. A food coloring is any substance that is added to Food or Drink to change its Color.
Color retention agents: In contrast to colorings, color retention agents are used to preserve a food's existing color. Colour retention agents are Food additives that are added to food to prevent the color from changing
Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an emulsion, as in mayonnaise, ice cream, and homogenized milk. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids Mayonnaise (sometime abbreviated to mayo in American English and other languages is a thick Condiment made primarily from Vegetable oil and Egg Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from Dairy products such as Milk and Cream, combined Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes.
Flavors: Flavors are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially. Flavor or flavour is the sensory impression of a Food or other substance, and is determined
Flavor enhancers: Flavor enhancers enhance a food's existing flavors. See also Flavor Flavour enhancers are commonly added to commercially produced food products (eg They may be extracted from natural sources (through distillation, solvent extraction, maceration, among other methods) or created artificially. Distillation is a method of separating Mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture Liquid-liquid extraction, also known as solvent extraction and partitioning, is a method to separate compounds based on their relative solubilities in two
Flour treatment agents: Flour treatment agents are added to flour to improve its color or its use in baking. Flour treatment agents (also called improving agents) are Food additives added to Flour in order to improve its properties Flour is a powder made of Cereal grains It is the key ingredient of Bread, which is a staple food in many countries and therefore the availability Baking is the technique of prolonged Cooking of Food by dry heat acting by conduction, and not by radiation, normally in an Oven,
Humectants: Humectants prevent foods from drying out. A humectant is a Hygroscopic substance. It is often a molecule with several Hydrophilic groups most often Hydroxyl groups but Amines
Tracer gas: Tracer gas allow for package integrity testing to prevent foods from being exposed to atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life. As part of the recommended Leak testing methods for Nondestructive testing several tracer-gas leak testing ones exist among which the methods of choice are
Preservatives: Preservatives prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods pharmaceuticals paints biological samples wood etc A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually
Stabilizers: Stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents, like agar or pectin (used in jam for example) give foods a firmer texture. In Chemistry a stabilizer is a chemical which tends to inhibit the reaction between two or more other chemicals Agar or agar agar is a Gelatinous substance derived from Seaweed. Pectin (from Greek πηκτικός - pektikos, "congealed curdled" a white to light brown powder is a Heteropolysaccharide While they are not true emulsifiers, they help to stabilize emulsions. An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids An emulsion ( IPA: /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ is a mixture of two Immiscible (unblendable liquids
Sweeteners: Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring. A sweetener is a Food additive which adds the Basic taste of Sweetness to a food artificial sweeteners are Sugar substitutes Sweeteners other than sugar are added to keep the food energy (calories) low, or because they have beneficial effects for diabetes mellitus and tooth decay and diarrhea. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Food energy is the amount of Energy in food that is available through Digestion. This article is about the unit of energy For its use in Nutrition and Food labelling regulations, see the article on Food energy. Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc Dental caries is a disease that damages Tooth structures resulting in what is commonly called tooth decay or cavities which are holes in the teeth In Medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea (see spelling differences) is frequent loose or liquid Bowel movements Acute diarrhea
Thickeners: Thickeners are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties. Thickening agents, or thickeners, are substances which when added to an aqueous mixture increase its Viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a Fluid which is being deformed by either Shear stress or Extensional stress.

Other Info

Food additives are substances which are added in small amounts to processed foods for a specific purpose. Food additives have been used for centuries. Salt, sugar and vinegar were among the first and used to preserve foods. In the past 30 years, however, with the advent of processed foods, there has been a massive explosion in the chemical adulteration of foods with additives. Considerable controversy has been associated with the potential threats and possible benefits of food additives.
In several cases, artificial food additives have been linked with cancer, digestive problems, and neurological conditions such as ADD. They can be also linked with diseases like heart disease, obesity, rapid heartbeat and more. Though some people feel organic additives are preferable to artificial ones, others point out that "natural" additives themselves may be harmful in large quantities (such as salt) or may contain natural toxins, such as chemicals made by plants to defend themselves^[1]. The U. S. Food Labelling Regulations (1984) describe an additive as:

'any substance not commonly regarded or used as a food, which is added or used in or on food at any stage to affect its keeping qualities, texture, consistency, appearance, taste, odour, alkalinity or acidity or to serve any other technological function in relation to food. '

References

U. S. Food and Drug Administration. (1993). Everything Added to Food in the United States. Boca Raton, FL: C. K. Smoley (c/o CRC Press, Inc. ).
The Food Labelling Regulations (1984)
Advanced Modular Science, Nelson, Food and Health, by John Adds, Erica Larkcom and Ruth Miller

^ Schlosser, Eric. (2001) Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin

External links

John Triggs (born 1976 is a British Journalist and feature writer The Daily Express is a conservative Middle-market British Tabloid Newspaper.

Dictionary

-noun

Any non-food substance added to food in order to improve its flavour, appearance or shelf life

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
network: | |

Contents