CHAPTER 15 (PART 1)HEALTH FOODS AND

ADDITIVESANDREA LAURA O. DE LOS SANTOS

DBA

Health Foods

Possess health-giving, curative properties beyond their ordinary nutritive action.

Organically-grown foods

foods grown without the use of any manufactured agricultural chemicals and fertilizers

(insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, hormones)

processed without the use of food chemicals or additives

(synthetic sweeteners, preservatives, dyes, emulsifiers, stabilizers)

Natural foods

Food in their original state.Raw fruitsVegetables

*with minimal refinement and processing

Food Additives

Substances that are combined with food to

1.prevent growth of microbes or spoilage

2.improve nutrient quality

3.enchance texture, flavor, color, and odor. Used to keep food safe and edible.

Chemical and Microbial Inhibitors

Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and Sucrose Oldest and most used microbial

inhibitors

* Why?

-they absorb water, and make food less available for chemical reactions and microbial growth.

Citric acid, acetic acid, phosphoric acid They lower the pH of food to an acid

state in which organisms cannot grow.

Other growth microbial growth inhibitors Calcium propionate

Added to bread Sorbic acid

Added to beverages

Antioxidants

Added to foods to reduce spoilage Natural food component

examples:

*sprinkling vitamin C powder on sliced apples and potatoes

(this will prevent browning through action of enzymes.)

Synthetic Antioxidants

Added to polyunsaturated acids to prevent formation of toxic substances

Examples:

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)

Other antioxidants

Metal chelating agentsBind trace metals and prevent them from

catalyzing the oxidation of lipids.examples:

○ EDTA ○ Citric acid

3 processes used for improving nutrient quality of food

1. Restoration

2. Enrichment

3. Fortification

Restoration

Selected nutrients are added to a food to restore nutrients lost through processing

Example:Adding vitamin C to sterilize fruit juice

Enrichment Nutrients are added to a food to conform to

standards established for certain nutrients. Example:

IronNiacinThiaminRiboflavin CalciumVitamin D

(added to flour or bread)

Fortification

Selected nutrients not normally present in that particular food is added.

Example:Vitamin D in milkVitamin A in margarine

Agents Essential for food Processing

Agents Essential for Food processing

1. Leaving agents (yeast, baking powder)

-cause bake foods to rise

2. Emulsifiers (lecithin)

-keep oil- or fat-containing ingredients mixed with water base

-give bake foods a light texture

Agents Essential for Food processing

3. Thickeners (gelatin)

-give foods a smooth thick texture

-prevent ice crystal formation in frozen foods such as ice cream

4.Humectants

-prevent foods such as marshmallows from absorbing water

Agents Essential for Food processing

5. Artificial flavors and colors

-impart the expected flavor and color to a food

(margarine is colored yellow to resemble butter)

6.Foaming agents

-cause bubbles in such beverages as instant hot chocolate mix

Unacceptable and Questionably safe additives

1. Diethylstilbestrol (DES)

-synthetic growth hormone that was used in animal feeds, has been removed

2. FDC red dye #2

-coloring agent used in lipstick and beverages

-has been under study for mutagenic effects but permits have been granted for its use at lower levels

* FDC red dye # 3

-used in plaque disclosing tablets is acceptable

3. Violet dye # 1

-used for stamping the grades of meat into beef carcasses , is suspected of being carcinogenic. If exposure is so low it is not considered a significant risk

Unacceptable and Questionably safe additives

4. Synthetic sweeteners ( cyclamates and saccharin)

-still being used but are periodically being assessed regarding their safety.

5. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

-it’s a flavor enhancer

-shown to cause tissue damage to the brain in mature rats

-has been removed to baby food