Food additives (1-30) - Elizabeth

Question 1

What is the definition of a food additive?

Answer 1

any chemical substance added to food during preparation/storage that either becomes a part of the food or affects its characteristics for the purpose of achieving a particular technical effect.

Question 2

True or false: food additives are chemical substances that are not found in nature and that are synthesized and incorporated in commercial food products.

Which of the following are considered food additives? What kind of food additives are they?
- Common Salt
- Acidulant
- Nitrites
- Inorganic salt
- Minerals
- Vitamin E
- Seasoning
- Veterinary drugs
- Citric acid
- Agricultural chemicals

Answer 2

False. Food additives can be naturally present in foods. They are either isolated from these foods or synthesized to be added in commercial food products.

Acidulant: pH control agent
Nitrite: preservative
Inorganic salt: pH control agent
Vitamin E: antioxidant
Citric acid: sequestering agent

Question 3

Spot the lies!

1. Food additives permitted for use by Health Canada can be used in any food product.
2. Government regulations allow for use of additives in food with specified maximum levels.
3. If there are no food additive specifications under the Food and Drug Regulations, it is permitted for use.

Answer 3

1. LIE! Certain food additives are only permitted for use in certain products.
2. TRUTH!
3. LIE! If there are no specification in the FDR, the food additive must comply with specification in the food chemical codex (FCC) of the FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives (JECFA).

Question 4

True or false: The term “Food processing aids” is regulated.

What are the 4 functions of additives?

Answer 4

False. There is no regulatory definition or requirement for pre-clearance of processing aids.

1. Preserve product quality/prolong shelf life
2. Enhance flavour/colour
3. Control product consistency
4. Improve/maintain nutritive value.

Question 5

What are the 3 types of pH control agents? What do they each do?

Answer 5

1. Acids/Adidulants: reduce pH to slow down microbial spoilage, give a tart flavor, or alter texture.
2. Bases/(in)organic salts: enhance colour/flavour, alter texture and soften fruits skin
3. Buffers: control and stabilise mixtures at desired pH.

Question 6

What is a preservative? What are the 4 classes of preservatives? What function does Nitrite serve in relation to meat products? What is a danger associated to Nitrites?

Answer 6

Preservative: substance added to food to prevent/slow spoliage caused by microbial contamination and oxidation of fats.

Class 1: curing preservatives
Class 2: antibacterial
Class 3: Antifungal and antimyotic
Class 4: Antioxidants to preserve product quality.

Nitrites: effective preservative agaisnt Clostridium botulinum in meat products. They must be used at a concentration equal or lower than 200pm. because high concentrations can be carcinogenic.

Question 7

What is an antioxidant? What is oxidation and consequences on food products? Name 3 examples of natural antioxidants and 2 examples of synthetic antioxidants.

Answer 7

Antioxidant: Protect food from changes caused by oxygen exposure by controlling oxidation substrates and prooxidants (reactive oxygen species) and inactivating free radicals

Oxidation: Reaction by which an electron is removed from a molecule by an oxidant. Exposition of oxygen (strong oxidant) in products leads to rancidity of fats and oils and development of off-flavours and colour losses

Natural AO: lecithin, vitamin C and vitamin E

Synthetic AO: BHA, BHT

Question 8

What is the difference between primary and secondary antioxidants?

Answer 8

Primary: capable of accepting free radicals, which interrupts lipid oxidation initiaion.

Secondary: They use other mechanisms to retard lipid oxidation instead of free radical acceptation.

Question 9

What is a chelating/sequestering agent and what 4 functions do they serve in foods?

True or false: Synthetic chelating agents are less effective than Natural chelating agents, because natural chelating agents are organic.

Answer 9

Chelating agent: sequester mineral ions in food emulsions

functions:
1. Improve solubility of mineral ions
2. Inhibit lipid oxidation
3. Retard colour/flavour loss
4. Prevent aggregation of charger droplets.

FALSE! Synthetic agents are more effective than natural agents because natural agents require acidic environments to function.