Food additives
Food Additives
Food additives (/fuːd ædɪtɪvz/) are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines.
Etymology
The term "food additive" is derived from the English words "food" (from Old English fōda, "nourishment") and "additive" (from Latin additivus, "that is added").
Types of Food Additives
Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them.
- Preservatives are added to food to fight spoilage caused by bacteria, molds, fungus, and yeast. Preservatives can keep food fresher for longer periods of time, extending its shelf life.
- Antioxidants such as vitamin C are added to food to slow the oxidative degradation of fats and lipids, which leads to rancidity.
- Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than sugar are added to keep the food energy (calories) low, or because they have beneficial effects for diabetes mellitus and tooth decay and diarrhea.
- Color additives are added to food to offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; correct natural variations in color; enhance colors that occur naturally; provide color to colorless and "fun" foods.
- Emulsifiers allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an emulsion, as in mayonnaise, ice cream, and homogenized milk.
Related Terms
- E number is a reference number given to food additives that have passed safety testing and have been approved for use throughout the European Union (EU).
- Food safety refers to the conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food to prevent contamination and foodborne illnesses.
- Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients, by physical or chemical means into food, or of food into other forms.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Food additives
- Wikipedia's article - Food additives
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