1. 1b Food Additives
Everything in food is made from chemicals
Look at this label for a packet of mint sweets:
• The ingredients are listed in order of quantity.
• The main ingredient in mint humbugs must be ___________________________
because it is listed first.
• The ingredient that has been used in the smallest quantity is _______________
What are Food Additives?
• These are chemicals that we add to food to improve it in some way e.g. to improve
the _____________ or ______________________.
• There are 4 main types of food additive:
Food Additive Reason for using it Examples
Food colours
Flavour
enhancers
(IMPORTANT: they are not flavourings as such)
Antioxidants
Emulsifiers
What are E-numbers?

2. Additives that have passed a safety test can be used in the European Union and
these are given an E-number. We can tell from the number what type of food
additive it is.
Additives E-numbers examples
Food colourings E100 – E199 E150c caramel
Antioxidants E300 – E399
Emulsifiers E400 – E499
Flavour enhancers E600 – E699 E621 – monosodium glutamate
You don’t need to learn the E-numbers for the exam but you might be given a
table and asked to use it to identify additives.
Look at the label for gravy below:
1. Which ingredient has been used in the largest quantity?
2. Which ingredient has been used in the smallest quantity?
3. Name the flavour enhancer used.
4. Name the colouring used.
Why is it important to list the ingredients on packet food?

3. What are emulsifiers and why do we use them?
• Oil and water do not mix. We say they are ________________:
• By _____________ or whisking oil and water ___________________ the oil
breaks down into tiny droplets that ________________ throughout the oil.
oil droplet
water
How do emulsifiers work
• When tiny oil droplets are spread out in water like this we call it an ________.
• If you leave an emulsion the oil and water usually separate out again. This is not
very useful for ice cream and mayonnaise that shops need to ___________
for long periods of time. So, to keep them mixed an _____________ is added.
Emulsifiers are made up from two parts:
hydrophobic tail
(water hating and
hydrophilic head oil loving)
(water loving)
• A __________________ head which loves water
• A __________________ tail which hates water and loves oil
• The tails attach to the _____ droplets and the heads ___________ each
other. This stops the oil droplets from joining up again.
e.g.

4. What is active or intelligent packaging?
There are different functions for active packaging but here are 2 examples that you
must learn:
1. Active packaging can ___________ or ___________ to things which are
taking place inside a package to improve the quality or safety of the products
e.g.
Cans that heat drinks must have an ______________ reaction taking place inside
Cans that cool drinks must have an ______________ reaction taking place inside
2. Some active packaging is designed to remove ___________. This makes it
difficult for _______________ and ____________ to grow which increases
the ______________________.