Food Additives Flashcards
What is food additive?
Is a safe substance that is intentionally added to food in small quantities (except vitamin & mineral)
Purposes of adding food additive:
o Prolong the shelf life of food
o Enhance the organoleptic qualities (odor, flavor & color)
o Enhance food consistency (texture, color, appearance, and taste)
o Improve the food taste
o Consumer choice
TYPES OF FOOD ADDITIVE
1) Food Conditioner
2) Antioxidant
3) Flavor Ehancer
4) Flavoring Substance
5) Coloring Substance
6) Antimicrobial Agent
1) Preservatives
Preservative
Means any substance when added to food is capable to inhibit or retard the process of decomposition,
fermentation or acidification of food.
Example of permitted preservative:
Benzoic acid, sorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, propionic acid
Example of permitted preservative:
Benzoic acid, sorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, propionic acid
Application (Preservatives)
➢ Jam, fruit juice, ketchup, bread
Antimicrobial agent
This means any substance used to preserve food by preventing the growth of microorganisms, or used to sterilize foodcontact surfaces.
Antimicrobial agent
This means any substance used to preserve food by preventing the growth of microorganisms, or used to sterilize foodcontact surfaces.
Example of permitted antimicrobial agent:
➢ Chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide
Example of permitted antimicrobial agent:
➢ Chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide
Application (Antimicrobial agent)
➢ Postharvest handling for fish
Coloring substance
This means any substance when added to food is capable of imparting color to that food.
Example of permitted coloring substance:
Allura red, sunset yellow, tatrazine, brilliant blue, carotene
Application (Coloring substance)
➢ Cake, ice cream, soft drink, candies, cordial, ketchup, sauce
Application (Coloring substance)
➢ Cake, ice cream, soft drink, candies, cordial, ketchup, sauce
Flavouring substance
This means any substance when added to food is capable of
imparting flavor to that food
Example of permitted flavouring substance:
➢ Quassin, quinine, thujones
Application (Flavoring)
➢ Ice cream, soft drink, candies, cordial
Flavor enhancer
This means any substance that, when added to food, is capable of enhancing the flavor of that food.
Example of permitted flavour enhancer:
➢ MSG, inosinic acid, yeast extract
Application (Flavor Enhancer)
➢ Sauce, soup stock, sausage, ketchup, fish ball, canned fish
Antioxidant
This means any substance that, when added to food, is capable of delaying the development of food rancidity.
Example of permitted antioxidant
➢ Tocopherol, BHT, BHA
Example of permitted antioxidant
➢ Tocopherol, BHT, BHA
Application (Antioxidant)
➢ Margerine, butter, coconut cream
Food conditioner
➢ This means any substance that is added to food for a
technological purpose to obtain the desired food
➢ Includes: emulsifiers, antifoaming agents, stabilisers,
thickeners, modified starches, gelling agents, acidity
regulators, enzymes, solvents, and anticaking agents.
Example of permitted food conditioner:
➢ Acetic acid, citric acid, magnesium carbonate, xanthan gum, lecithin, carrageenan, propylene glycol.
Application (Food conditioner)
➢ Canned fruit, chocolate, cake, biscuit, sausage, nugget, fish ball
ACCEPTABLE APPLICATIONS OF FOOD ADDITIVES
√ Enhance quality
√ Reduce waste
√ Improve storage quality
√ Improve nutritional value
√ Enhance acceptability
√ Facilitate preparation
√ Make food more available
ACCEPTABLE APPLICATIONS OF FOOD ADDITIVES
√ Enhance quality
√ Reduce waste
√ Improve storage quality
√ Improve nutritional value
√ Enhance acceptability
√ Facilitate preparation
√ Make food more available
UNACCEPTABLE USES OF FOOD ADDITIVES
√ To disguise inferior products
√ To deceive the consumer
√ To provide otherwise desirable results that lower the nutritional value
√ To replace good manufacturing practices
√ To use in amounts greater than are necessary
NATURAL SOURCES
1) Plants
2) Animals
3) Microorganisms
Plants
• Thickening agentsextracted from fruits, seaweed, etc..
• Beetroot juice (E162), a colouring agent
ANIMALS
• Monoglyceride
• Gelatine
• Rennet
• Carminic acid
• Tocopherol
• Lysozyme
Microorganism
• Amylase enzyme (Bacillus licheniformis)
• Xylanase enzyme (Thermomyces lanuginosus)
• MSG (Corynebacterium glutamicum)
MANMADE VERSIONS of naturally occurring compounds
Examples:
• i.e. synthetic identical copies of substances found
naturally.
• Example: benzoic acid (E210), used as a
preservative
MODIFIED NATURAL SUBSTANCES (plant & animal)
• Example:
– Thickening agent from modified starch, such as
sorbitol.
ARTIFICIAL
Examples:
• Produced synthetically and not found naturally
• Example:
– butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a preservative
CLASSES / TYPES
• Antimicrobial
• Antioxidants
• Sequestrants
• Color
• Flavors/ flavor enhancers
• Nutritive Additives
• Polyols
• Proteins
• Fat
• Starches
• Gums
• Surface Active Agents (emulsifiers)
• Leavening agents
• Acidulants
• Phosphates
Antioxidants
• BHA
• BHT
• TBHQ
Acidulants:
– primarily to change the taste & to control microbial growth.
– Examples:
• citric acid
• acetic acid
• phosphoric acid
• hydrochloric acid
Antimicrobial agents
• Benzoic acid or sodium benzoate
• Calcium propionate
• Potassium sorbate or sorbic acid
Sequesterants Agents:
• Ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA)
• Citric acid and its salts
• Phosphoric acid and its salts
Surface active agents (Surfactants) emulsifiers include:
• Mono- and di-glycerides
• polysorbate 60 and 80
• lecithin
• Proteins
Thickeners include:
• Starch
• Modified starches
• Gums
Anthocyanins
Color = Red/Blue
Examples ==> Black grapes, Cabbages, and Cherries
Betalains
Color = Red and yellow indole
Example = Beetroot
Carotenoids
Color = Yellow/Orange/Red
Examples = Carrots, Oranges, Saffron, and Tomatoes
Chlorophylls and Chlorophyllins
Color = Green
Examples = Parsley, Spinach
What are E-numbers?
• Food labels often contain E-numbers. Nearly all additives, including natural products like citric
acid, have E-numbers.
• The ‘E’ stands for ‘European’. To be given an E-number, additives are tested to make sure they meet safety requirements set by the European
Community.
• However, not everyone agrees that these additives are safe. Some additives with E-numbers that are
used in the UK are banned in other countries. For example, the food coloring E104 (quinoline yellow) is banned in Australia and the USA.
E-numbers
100-199 Colors
200-299 Preservatives
300-399 Antioxidants and acidity regulators
400-499 Thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers
500-599 pH regulators, Anti-caking agents
600-699 Flavor enhancers
700-799 Antibiotics
900-999 Miscellaneous
1100-1599 Additional chemicals
Food Conditioners
Food conditioners are added to foods for a
technological purpose to obtain the desired food.
Types of food conditioner, which are allowedare:
Emulsifier and anti-foaming agent. Stabilizer, thickener, modified starch, and gelling agent.
Emulsifiers
Substances that can mix oil and water to make homogenous mix (emulsion)
Examples: Mayonnaise
Examples of emulsifiers: Lecithin, Mono & diglycerides
Anti Foaming Agents
To control and/or reduce foaming during cooking, fermentation, and bottling
Examples of anti foaming agents
1) Dimethyl polysiloxanes
2) Other silicons
3) Certain alcohols
4) Glycols
Stabilizers
Cause food components to remain intact & maintaining product texture
Why we add food colors?
1) Restore color lost during processing or storage
2) Enhaces the color
3) Gives the color to food
Color composed of;
1) Naturally found
2) Nature identical colors
3) Synthetic colors
Naturally found color
Sources
1) Animal = Cochineal
2)Plants = Skin/peel of fruits or vegetables
Nature Indentical Colors
1) Chemicals found in natural colors but are prepared chemically
2) Examples
i) Flavonoids = Originally found in fruits, flowers
ii) Indigo = Found in beetroot
iii) Caratenoids = Carrots, Oranges, Tomatoes
Synthetic Colors
1) Color that do not occur in nature and have been made in factory by chemical synthesis
2) Examples = Azo dyes
Why do we add food flavor?
1) Add/enhanced or alter food taste
ANALYSIS OF FOOD ADDITIVES
(e.g Benzoic acid)
• Titrimetric Method
• Spectrophotometric method
• HPLC Method
