Food Additives

Objective

What are Food Additives ?

Some of the food we eat are fresh. They are not processed.
Most foods, however, are processed.
In food processing , small amounts of certain chemicals are often added. These are called food additives.
Any substance that becomes part of a food product either directly or indirectly during some phase of processing, storage or packaging.
Basically, a food additive is something that doesn’t normally occur in the food we eat — it has to be added.

In general various definitions have been given.

According to WHO (1965), ‘Food Protection Committee of the National Academy of Sciences (1959)

"It is a substance or mixture of substances, other than the basic food stuff, which is present in food as a result of any aspect of production, processing, storage or packaging. This term does not include chance contamination.

Codex Alimentarius

"Additives are not considered nutritional even if they have some nutritive value."

Means any substance not normally consumed as food by itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food.
The term does not include contaminants or substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.

Need of Additive

Unavoidable in the complex and integrated society in which we live as the area of food production are separated from areas of consumption.
In present degree of urbanization, its impossible to maintain distribution network without adding preservatives.
Great demand for convenience/ready to eat foods and heat and serve products.
Essential to prevent rancidity of oils and for maintaining the shelf life of high-moisture containing foods.
Food additives must not be used to disguise faulty processing and handling techniques to cheat customers.

Uses and some of the common functions food additives

Importance of Food Additives

Foods are subjected to many environmental conditions, such as temperature changes, oxidation and exposure to microbes, which can change their original composition.
Food additives play a key role in maintaining the food qualities and characteristics that consumers demand, keeping food safe, wholesome and appealing from farm to fork.

Types of Additives

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.

Food Additive Safety

Only the additives which present no appreciable health risk to consumers at the use level proposed by the JECFA shall be endorsed and included in the standard.
ADI, its probable daily intake from all food sources for special group consumers (diabetic, medical diet, sick individual on formulated liquid diet) will be taken into account.
The quantity of an additive should be at or below the maximum use level and is at lowest level necessary to achieve the intended technical effect.
It should be of food grade quality and is prepared and handled in same way as a food ingredient.
Carry over of a food additive from a raw material to other ingredient is unacceptable for foods such as infant formula, follow-up formulae and formulae for special medical purposes, complementary foods for infants and young children

Advice to the public of food additives

Buy foods from reputable sources.
Read the label of prepackaged food carefully in particular the ingredient list for food additives added (if any) which you could accept.
People with allergic condition, such as asthma patients, may experience hypersensitive reaction due to some food additives like sulphur dioxide and should be careful in selecting food. Advice from medical professionals may be sought when necessary in Hazards of preservatives.

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