Food Additives Flashcards
differentiate direct and indirect food additives
direct (intentional): deliberately adde to achieve a desired affect
indirect (incidental): added unintentionally as a result of various agricultural, environmental and domestic practices
what are the 3 main groups of direct food additives?
- food processing aids and functional additives
- food preservatives
- food quality enhancers
what are emulsifiers?
examples?
- type of direct food additives (food processing aid)
- amphiopathic molecules
- able to bring aqueous and non-aequeous phases together to form a stable emulsion
- examples: mono and diglyerides, lecithin, mustard powder
what are thickeners or thixotropic agents
examples?
- type of direct food additive (food processing aid)
- added to foods to add body or make product thicker
- ex: starch, gums, pectin, CMC, whey proteins, sugars
what are water binding agents? what types are there?
- type of direct food additive
- types: humectants and anticaking agents
what are humectants? what is their function? examples?
- type of water binding agent and type of direct food additive (food processing aid)
- function: makes food product retain moisture in food
- ex: phosphates, polyphosphates, glycerol
what types of foods are humectants usually used for?
meats (to make it tender and juicy)
what are anticaking agents? functions? examples?
- type of water binding agent and type of direct food additive (food processing aid)
- function: absorbs moisture from products (such as sugar and salt) to prevent them from going soggy)
- eg. silicates and cornstarch
what re enzymes used for meat tenderizing?
bromelain
papain
ficin
what are enzymes used for clarification of fruit juices?
amylases
what are foaming agents?
- type of direct food additive (food processing aid)
- used in same beverages and desserts
- function: produces stable foams or makes product fluffy and lighter
- ex: egg white and milk powder
what are anti-foaming agents?
- type of water binding agent and type of direct food additive (food processing aid)
- function: used to destabilize foam in products
- eg: fatty alcohols, veg oils, silicone
what are acids (as a direct food additive)?
eg. acetic and citric acid
function: flavor and texture improvement
what are alkalis (as a direct food additive)?
function: raising dough volume in baking
eg. NaHCO3 as a leavening agent
what are buffers?
function: added to KI in table salt to stabilize KI and prevent breakdown
eg. Ca(OH)2 used to stabilize KI in iodized salts. Ca(OH)2 is alkaline and KI is stable in alkaline millieu
what are the main uses of food preservatices?
- stability to reduce spoilage due to microbial activity and naturally present enzymes that break down substrates to form products that are undesirable/desirable
- safety: to avoid toxic substances produced by microorganisms
what kind of products can microorganisms produce?
toxic
autolytic products from enzyme action
how do food preservatives control microbial growth?
fermentation humectants diret addition of acids gas sterilants synthetic metabolic inhibitors inorganic compounds antioxidants