FOOD ADDITIVES

Student At:

Department of National Institute of Food

Science and Technology

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, Pak

INTRODUCTION:

Definition:

“Any substance added to food, including substances used in the

production, processing treatment, packaging, transportation, or

storage of food.”

Quality assurance certification for food additives is provided by

various regulatory bodies such as European Union (EU) and

American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control the

legality of use for all additives.

Food producers use any of 14,000 laboratory-made additives to

make food appear fresher, more attractive or last longer on the shelf.

PURPOSE OF FOOD ADDITIVES

TYPES OF FOOD ADDITIVES

On basis of nature, have two types.

Natural :

o These are naturally occurring substances. Usually considered harmless.

o Include salt, sugar, vinegar, alcohol and rosemary extract.

Artificial:

o Comprised of several different types of additives .

o These are harmful and are mainly Chemical food additives.

CONTINUED….

Food additives are also classified as:

Intentional Food Additives:

o Additives knowingly or directly added into food products by manufacturers.

o Examples include nutrients, color, spices and herbs.

Incidental Food Additives:

o These are the Additives that appear in food products indirectly, from

environmental contamination of food ingredients or during the

manufacturing process.

THE GRAS LIST

In 1958, all food additives were put on a Generally Recognized as Safe

(GRAS) List established by FDA.

A list of food additives that were considered safe for consumption at that

time.

The substances present in the GRAS list are known as “GRAS substances”.

Examples: acetic acid, baking soda, caffeine, calcium citrate, citric acid,

corn starch, carbon dioxide, sugar, salt and many more.

TESTING FOOD ADDITIVES

Food additives are tested under FDA scrutiny for safety.

No-observable-effect-level (NOEL):

The rationale for reducing NOEL by a 100-fold margin is that we assume

humans are at least 10 times more sensitive to food additives than are

laboratory animals .

Delany Clause:

“This Clause prohibits intentionally adding to food a compound that was

introduced after 1958 and causes cancer.”

For Incidental food additives, FDA sets an acceptable level .

OBTAINING APPROVAL FOR A NEW FOOD

ADDITIVE:

Manufacturers must give FDA information that:

Identifies the new additive

Gives its chemical composition

States how it is manufactured

Specifies laboratory methods used to measure its presence in the food

supply at the amount of intended use.

COMMON FOOD ADDITIVES

Antimicrobials

Anti-oxidants

Coloring Agents

Emulsifiers

Flavoring Agents

Dietary Supplements

Neutralizing Agents and many others

CHEMICAL FOOD ADDITIVES:

Methylcyclopropene

Artificial colors

Artificial flavoring

Aspartame

Benzoic acid/Sodium Benzoate

BHA/BHT

Canthaxanthin

Emulsifiers

Astaxanthin

Olestra

MSG

Potassium Bromate etc.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS

Impart or maintain consistency

Improve or maintain nutritional value

Maintain palatability and wholesomeness

Produce light texture; control alkalinity and acidity

Improve sensory properties

Impart desired color

Control physical, chemical, and microbiological changes

Facilitate handling and distribution of food stuff

ROLE IN IMPROVING NUTRITION

Fortified foods are processed foods that have been ‘fortified’ or had vitamins

and minerals added to them. For example

Breakfast Cereals

Can be fortified by manufacturers with

B group vitamins, iron & zinc.

Margarine

Margarine and edible oil based spreads are

required to be fortified with vitamin D.

Orange Juice

Some brands are fortified with calcium.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS

Aggravates asthma and suspected to be a neurotoxin and carcinogen.

Some additive may induce gastric irritation, nausea, diarrhea.

May temporarily inhibit digestive enzyme function .

BHA/BHT is may be carcinogenic to humans.

Destroys nerve cells in brain.

(HFCS) causes Obesity, Accelerated aging, Insulin sistance, Diabetes

resistance, Diabetes mellitus.

MSG causes Bronchospasm, Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Headache, nausea,

Headache, nausea, drowsiness.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

supervise and regulate the use of additives in products sold in the United

States. However, people who have special diets or intolerances should be

careful in selecting products in the grocery store.

The U.S. government requires everyone that manufactures food to list all

the ingredients on the label.

REFERENCES:

Gordon M.Wardlaw. (1999), Perspectives in Nutrition, 4th Edition, WCB

McGraw-Hill, Boston Burr Ridge, IL Dubuque, IA Madison, WI New York

San Fransisco St, Louis: Colin H.wheatley.

J.A. Awan. (2011), Food Processing and Preservation, Unitech

Communications: Faisalabad.

Marie A.Boyle. (2001), Personal Nutrition, 4th Edition, Wadsworth

Thomson learning, United States of America: Peter Marshall.