Food Additives

Question 1

Why use additives?

Answer 1

• Large scale production
• Transport from all over the country and abroad
• People cook less, ↑ prepared ingredients and meals
• Expectation for food to last longer
• To maintain consistently high quality and safety

Question 2

Define Food Additives

Answer 2

Any substance not normally consumes as food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value a

Question 3

Name the legislation/ regulation for food additives

Answer 3

Food Additives, Flavouring, Enzymes and Extraction Solvents (England) Regulations 2013

Question 4

What do regulations on food additives provide

Answer 4

The Regulation provides for:

a) Lists of approved food additives

b) Conditions of use for food additives used in foods

c) Rules on the labelling on food additives

d) Specific rules on the “carry-over” principle

e)Purity criteria to be established for permitted food additives.

Question 5

For an additive to be legal to use what should it not contain/do

Answer 5

Should not present safety concerns

Should be technologically justified

Should not mislead the consumer

Question 6

Explain what the carry-over rule is?

Answer 6

Certain food are not permitted to contain additives by way of carry-over.
However, if an unprocessed food e.g. fresh fillet of fish, is coated with batter, the fish and the batter would be considered separate ingredients falling with the different food categories.

The batter would be permitted to contain all Group 1 additives, even through most Group 1 additives are not permitted in fresh fish

Question 7

Name the organisations that authorises the safety of food additives

Answer 7

Scientific Committee on Food (SCF)

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Question 8

Explain what the labelling requirements are for authorised food colours (Article 18)

Answer 8

Name or E number of the colours(s) : may have an adverse activity and attention in children

Question 9

Give the 3 reasons that would allow food additives to become authorised

Answer 9

There is a technological need for their use

They do not mislead the consumer

They present no health hazards for consumers

Question 10

Explain what Accepted daily intake (ADI) is

Answer 10

Accepted daily intake (ADI) = max amount that can be ingested daily in the diet over a lifetime, without any negative effects in health

Usually expressed as a range of 0-x milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day

Question 11

How many safe food additives are there?

Answer 11

314

Question 12

Example and give examples of natural, nature identical and artificial food additives are

Answer 12

Natural - found naturally in food (beetroot as colouring agents in sweets)

Nature identical (man-made version) synthetic identical copy of natural substances (benzoic acid E210 as antibacterial and antifungal preservatives)

Artificial: synthetic compounds, not found naturally (azodicarbonamide)

Question 13

Name 4 functions of food additives

Answer 13

Improves food taste

Makes food more appealing

Enrich food with nutrients

Food safety and preservation

Question 14

What are the 6 main groups of food additives and their E number ranges

Answer 14

Colours E100 - E180

Preservatives - E200 - E285

Antioxidants - E300 - E321

Sweeteners - E420-1 and E950-E969

Emulsifiers etc E322 and E400-E1103

Others E260-E1521

Question 15

Benefits of Antioxidants

Answer 15

Act as preservatives by inhibiting the effect of oxygen on food  prevents food from becoming rancid or changing colour

Question 16

Why are sweeteners used as food additives and give the benefits of using sweeteners

Answer 16

To impart a sweet taste and flavour or as a table-top sweetener

Benefits:

Help lower energy intake

Reduce risk of dental caries

Diabetes – wider range of foods, improved palatability

Low appetite in elderly people – improved palatability

Question 17

Name the 2 types of sweeteners

Answer 17

Bulk

Intense

Question 18

What are bulk and intense sweeteners?

Answer 18

Bulk - Occurs naturally in a variety of berries and fruits (apples and blackberries etc)

Intense - Used as tabletop sweetener, in food, drinks and toothpaste

Question 19

In food items that contain intense sweeteners what chemical must they be labelled with

Answer 19

Source of phenylalanine

Question 20

Explain what emulsifiers, natural and artificial emulsifiers are and give examples

Answer 20

Emulsifiers: Molecules with both an hydrophobic and an hydrophilic part.
Small droplets of oil are surrounded by emulsifier, which maintains it in suspension and avoids the separation of water and oil.

Natural emulsifiers: Lipoproteins or phospholipids (e.g. egg yolk, the oldest emulsifier - rich in lecithin).

Artificial ones: different esters and monoglycerides.
Prevent growth of moulds and maintain food appearance of creams and sauces.

Question 21

Explain where the following additives are used in/for

Glazing agents
Flavourings Humectants
Thickeners
Stabilisers
Propellants

Answer 21

Glazing agents: Used to create a protective coat and to impart a polished surface on the food

Flavourings: Added in small amounts to food to impart taste

Humectants: Act as moisturizers, attract water. typically used to prevent creams from drying out

Thickeners: Increased food viscosity by absorbing the fluid and increasing its thickness

Stabilisers: food binders, increase the stability and thickness of food, smoothen its texture and give a uniform nature to the product

Propellants: These are sealed under pressure in an aerosol food container and help to expel the food from its container

Question 22

How should food which contain sweeteners be labelled?

Answer 22

Must show the statement ‘with sweeteners(s)’ close to main product name

If both sugar and sweetener: ‘with sugar and sweetener(s)’

With aspartame: warning contains a source of phenylalanine