List of food additives

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. 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 with wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.

Types of Food Additives[edit]

Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them.

Preservatives[edit]

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. Food preservatives also are used to slow or prevent changes in color, flavor or texture and delay rancidity.

Sweeteners[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Flavors and Spices[edit]

Flavors and spices are added to enhance the taste of food. Spices have been used for this purpose for thousands of years.

Flavor Enhancers[edit]

Flavor enhancers augment the existing taste and aroma of a food, without providing their own separate flavor. They are used in a variety of foods.

Fat Replacers[edit]

Fat replacers (also known as fat substitutes) are substances that mimic the mouthfeel of fat but have less food energy.

List of Food Additives[edit]

The following is a list of food additives and their functions:

Acetic acid: Used as an acidity regulator in a variety of foods.
Ascorbic acid: Acts as an antioxidant and color stabilizer in a variety of foods.
Citric acid: Used as an acidity regulator in a variety of foods.
Sodium benzoate: Used as a preservative in a variety of foods.
Potassium sorbate: Used as a preservative in a variety of foods.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Used as a flavor enhancer in a variety of foods.
Sucralose: Used as a sweetener in a variety of foods.
Tartrazine: Used as a color additive in a variety of foods.

An additive to food intended to improve its flavor or appearance or shelf life.

Direct food additives[edit]

Most direct additives are identified on the ingredient label of foods. For a list of direct food additives, see food additives

Indirect food additives[edit]

Indirect food additives are those that become part of the food in trace amounts due to its packaging, storage or other handling. For instance, minute amounts of packaging substances may find their way into foods during storage