food additives

Outline• food additives

• Direct Food Additives

• Indirect Food Additives

• Types of additives

• roles and functions of food additives in food

• Coding of food additives

• Food safty (food additives)

• Food preservation

food additivesFood additives are substances added to products

to perform specific technological functions.

These functions include preserving, i.e.

increasing shelf-life or inhibiting the growth of

pathogens, or adding colouring and flavouring

to food forinterest and variety.

.

• are chemical substances added to foods to improve flavour, texture, colour, appearance and consistency, or as preservatives during manufacturing or processing. Herbs, spices, hops, salt, yeast, water, air and protein hydrolysates are excluded from this definition.

• There are over 300 permitted additives that can

be used in the UK. Flavourings are not included

in this figure, as there are over 3,000 flavouring

components in UK use, in many different

combinations. International organisations

provide advice on the safety of flavourings

• Includes any substance intended

for use in producing, manufacturing, processing,preparing, treating,

packaging, transporting or holding

food, and any source of radiation

intended for such use.

• 4 direct food additives = 93% of total

– Sucrose, salt,

corn syrup, dextrose

Food Additive

• A substance which may, by its intended use,become a component of food, either directly orindirectly, or which may otherwise affect thecharacteristics of food.– Includes any substance intendedfor use in producing, manufacturing,processing, preparing, treating,packaging, transporting or holdingfood, and any source of radiationintended for such use.

Direct Food Additives

• Anti-caking agents• Antimicrobial agents• Antioxidants• Colours• Curing and pickling agents• Emulsifiers• Enzymes• Firming agents• Flavour enhancers• Flavouring agents• Humectants• Leavening agents• Release agents• Non-nutritive sweeteners

• Nutrient supplements

• Nutritive sweeteners

• Oxidizing and reducing agents

• pH control agents

• Propellants and gases

• Sequestrants

• Solvents and vehicles

• Stabilizers and thickeners

• Surface-active agents

Texturizers

Indirect Food Additives

• Processing Aids• Food Contact Materials• Packaging Materials• Cleaning Agents• Ion-exchange resins, filter aids• Enzyme preparations• Microorganisms• Solvents, lubricants, release agents• Specific function additives• Utensils• Working surfaces• Equipment• Metal, plastic, paper, wood, etc.• Detergents• Sanitizers

Direct food additives serve four major purposes in our foods

To provide nutrition – to improve or maintain the nutritional quality of food. Forexample, the addition of iodine to salt has contributed to the virtual elimination of simplegoiter. The addition of Vitamin D to milk and other dairy products has accomplished thesame thing with respect to rickets. Niacin in bread, cornmeal and cereals has helpedeliminate pellagra, a disease characterized by central nervous system and skin disorders

To maintain product quality and freshness –fresh foods do not stay that way for long

periods of time; they rapidly deteriorate, turn rancid and spoil. Food additives delay

significantly this deterioration and prevent spoilage caused by growth of microorganisms,

bacteria and yeast and also by oxidation (oxygen in air coming into contact with the

foods). For example, if you were to cut slices of fresh fruits such as apples, bananas or

pears, they would rapidly turn brown as a result of this oxidation process

To aid in the processing and preparation of foods –additives impart and/or maintaincertain desirable qualities associated with various foods. For example, we expect saladdressings to stay mixed once they have been shaken.Emulsifiers such as lecithin from soybeans maintainmixture and improve texture in dressings and other foods.They are used in ice cream where smoothness is desiredLeaveners used to make breads, biscuits and rolls

rise, include yeast, baking powder and baking soda .

To make foods appealing – the majority of food additives are most often used for this

purpose. Unless foods look appetizing and appeal to our senses, they will most likely go

uneaten and valuable nutrients will be lost. Food additives such as flavoring agents and

enhancers, coloring agents and sweeteners are included by food processors because we

demand foods that look and taste good.

Types of additives

Additives may be:• natural – found naturally, such as extracts from beetroot juice (E162), used as a colouring agent;

• manmade versions – synthetic identical copies of substances found naturally, such as benzoic acid (E210), used as a preservative;

• artificial – produced synthetically and not found naturally, such as nisin (E234), used as a preservative in some dairy products and in semolina and tapioca puddings.

Six Categories of Food Additives• Texture– Emulsifiers– Stabilizers• Miscellaneous– Enzymes– Catalysts– Solvents– Propellants• Preservatives– Antimcrobial– Antibrowning– Antioxidant• Nutritional– Vitamins/minerals• Flavor– Flavor enhancers– Sweeteners– Nat/syn flavors• Color

Preservatives aim to:• prevent the growth of micro-organisms which could cause food spoilage and lead to food poisoning

• extend the shelf-life of products, so that they can be distributed and sold to the consumer with a longer shelf-life.

For example, bacon, ham, corned beef and other ‘cured’ meats are often treated with nitrite and nitrate (E249 to E252) during the curing process

roles and functions of food additives in food

. Preservatives

Antioxidants

Antioxidants aim to:• prevent food containing fat or oil from going rancid due to oxidation, i.e. developing an unpleasant odour or flavour;

• prevent the browning of cut fruit, vegetables and fruit juices (and so increase shelf life and appearance).

•For example, vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, or E300, is one of the most widely used antioxidants

Colours aim to:• restore colour lost during processing or storage, e.g. marrowfat peas;

• ensure that each batch produced is identicalin appearance or does not appear ‘off’;

• reinforces colour already in foods, e.g. enhancethe yellowness of a custard;

• give colour to foods which otherwise would be colourless (e.g. soft drinks) and so make them more attractive.

Colours

Colours

Certain combinations of the following articifical food colours: sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124) have been linked to a negative effect on children’s behaviour.

These colours are used in soft drinks, sweets and ice cream.

The Food Standards Agency suggest if signs of hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are seen in a child, these additives should be avoided.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorderIn 2003, approximately 4.4 million children aged 4--17 years were reported to have a history of ADHD diagnosis; of these, 2.5 million (56%) were reported to be taking medication for the disorder Some studies have linked some food additives to hyperactivity in children. A recent British study found that childrenwithout a history of any hyperactive disorder showed varying degrees of hyperactivity after consuming fruit drinkswith various levels of additives. Among those that were studied were: Sodium benzoate (E211), Tartrazine (E102),quinoline yellow (E104), Sunset yellow (E110), Carmosine (E122), Allura red (E129).

Flavour enhancers

Flavour enhancers bring out the flavour in foods without imparting a flavour of their own, e.g. monosodium glutamate (E612) is added to processed foods. For example some soups, sauces and sausages.

Flavourings, on the other hand, are added to a wide range of foods, usually in small amounts to give a particular taste. These do not have E numbers because they are controlled by different food laws. Ingredients lists will say if flavourings have been used, but individual flavourings might not be named

Sweeteners

Sweeteners include:• intense sweeteners, e.g. saccharin, have a sweetness many times that of sugar and therefore are used in small amounts, e.g. in diet foods, soft drinks, sweetening tablets;

• bulk sweeteners, e.g. sorbitol, have a similar sweetness to sugar and are used at similar levels.

If concentrated cordial drinks that contain sweeteners are given to children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years, it is important to dilute them more than for adults. Infants under 6 months should not be given cordial drinks.

Acids, bases and buffers

•Acids, bases and buffers control the acidity or alkalinity of food, for safety and stability of flavour

• Anti-caking agents

• Anti-caking agents ensure free movement or flow of particles, e.g. in dried milk or table salt

Anti – foaming agents

•Anti-foaming agents prevent or

disperse frothing, e.g. in the production of fruit juices

Glazing agents

Glazing agents provide a protective coating or sheen on the surface of foods, e.g. confectionary (for appearance and shelf-life).

Emulsifiers, stabilisers, gelling agentsand thickeners

• Emulsifiers help mix ingredients together that would normally separate, e.g. Lecithins (E322).

• Stabilisers prevent ingredients from separating again, e.g. locust bean gum (E410).

• Emulsifers and stabilisers give food a consistent texture, e.g. they can be found in low-fat spreads.

• Gelling agents are used to change the consistency of a food, e.g. pectin (E440), which is used to make jam.

• Thickeners help give food body, e.g. can be found in most sauces.

Coding of food additives

The food additive coding system was developed by the European Community (EC). The European food additive code numbers are prefixed by 'E' (e.g. E223). These E-numbers indicate the food additives that are approved for use in Europe

• 100-199 food colors• 200-299 preservatives• 300-399 antioxidants, phosphates, and complexing agents• 400-499 thickeners, gelling agents, phosphates,

humectants, emulsifiers• 500-599 salts and related compounds• 600-699 flavor enhancers• 700-899 not used for food additives (used for feed

additives)• 900-999 surface coating agents, gases, sweeteners• 1000-1399 miscellaneous additive• 1400-1499 starch derivatives

Food safty

Two major groups of food sensitivity are known as Food allergiesand food intolerance. food allergy

responses to a immunologicare abnormal particular food or food component. In contrast, food intolerances are non-immunologic responses. Generally, total avoidance of the culprit food is necessary for true food allergies. Food intolerances can be managed by limiting the amount of the food or food ingredient that is eaten. Total avoidance is usually not necessary for food intolerances.

Aspartame

) is an artificial sweetener that is 951(Aspartameused to replace sugars in foods and beverages. The long term effects of aspartame on health have been studied intensively, but results were inconclusive. It is noted that aspartame induces

related manner. -effects in a dosecarcinogenicContradictory results were shown in studies which reported that aspartame consumption in foods

and beverages does not raise the risk of or other cancersThe acceptable daily intake (ADI) of aspartame is currently 50 mg/kg body weight in the United States

Benzoateand colouring) is used as a food 211(Sodium benzoate

preservative in foods. Children who consumed a mixture of food colourings and preservatives from soft drinks and confectionery at high levels were found to

than those who did not have the hyperactivebe more colourings and preservatives

Monosodium glutamate (MSG

•is often added to food as a flavour enhancer but it can also occur naturally in food. In the safety assessment conducted by has been

Chinese implicated as the causative agent of and asthmatic (CRS)restaurant syndrome

attacks

Nitrates

or nitrites are added as a preservative, Nitratesantimicrobial agent or colour fixative to processed foods such as meats and cheese.Nitrate also occurs naturally in water, vegetables and plants. The human body converts nitrate in food into nitrite. Nitrite has been implicated in a variety of long term

gastric cancerhealth effects, including

Sulphite

sensitivity is a food intolerant reaction .Sulphite

Sulphite has many functions, including as a antimicrobial agent. It inhibits enzymatic and nonenzymatic browning, whitens foods, and serves as a dough conditioner. Manifestations

and anaphylaxisof sulphite sensitivity include asthma.

Tartrazine

) is an approved artificial food 102(Tartrazinecolour. Tartrazine has been implicated in the aggravation of both asthma and chronic

in some peopleurticaria