Food Additives

Food additives/preservatives are in most processed foods

The Food and Drug Administration monitors the use of additives and allows them to be used only if proven information has shown that the additive will accomplish the intended effect desired in the food.

Additives are used to achieve one or a combination of four purposes: to maintain or improve nutritional value; to maintain freshness; to help in processing or preparation; or to make food more appealing.

Without additives or preservatives, some food would soon spoil or it would taste bland. If some foods were not made storable, there might be considerable waste of food. There are several kinds of preservatives which are effective in preventing spoilage in a particular type of food or against a particular organism. Also, if some foods aren't stored properly they can cause illnesses.

Nutrient additives…

One type of food additive is the nutrient supplement. Vitamins and minerals are added to foods to make them more nutritious and sometimes to replace those nutrients lost during processing. Examples of this are bread that has been "enriched," milk with vitamin D added and margarine with vitamins A and D added. Non-nutritive sweeteners are in the form of sugar substitutes.

Emulsifiers…

Emulsifiers are used to improve the uniformity of a food... the fineness of grain... the smoothness and body of foods such as bakery goods, ice creams and confectionery products.

Stabilizers and thickeners…

Stabilizers and thickeners add smoothness, color uniformity and flavor uniformity to such things as ice creams, chocolate milk and artificially sweetened beverages. Stabilizers and thickeners are labeled as pectins, vegetable gums and gelatins.

Spices and flavorings…

Spices and liquid derivatives of onion, garlic, cloves and peppermint enhance flavor. Synthetic flavorings which resemble natural flavors have been developed and these have the advantage of being more stable than natural flavors.

And the list goes on…

Bleaching agents and maturing agents are products that speed the aging process which improves the bread making quality of flour. Freshly milled flour is yellowish and makes a very poor quality of bread.

Although colors don't improve eating quality they are considered important. If the food is not the expected color. most consumers won't buy it. Color adds a lot of appeal to a product.

Additives have many other uses too. These uses include hardening, drying, leavening, anti-foaming, firming, crisping, anti-sticking, whipping, creaming, clarifying and sterilizing.

Without additives in the processing of food, today's grocery stores would need a lot less room to sell the foods that would be left. Tested and approved food additives are a part of today's modern food technology.

For more information on food additives, contact your local county Extension office.