Small informations about food additives

1. FOOD ADDITIVES DEPT. OF FPT
F.F.Sc, WBUAFS

2. INTRODUCTION:
 According to the Food Protection Committee of the Food and Nutrition
Board, food additives may be defined as follows: A substance or
mixture of substances, other than a basic foodstuff, which is present
in a food as a result of any aspect of production, processing, storage,
or packaging.
 Food additives are natural or manufactured substances, not normally
consumed as a food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic
ingredient of food , which are added to foods for restoring colors lost
during processing, providing sweetness, preventing deterioration
during storage and guarding with preservatives against food poisoning.
 Today more than 2500 different additives are intentionally added to
foods to produce a desired effect.(Güngörmüş, C. and Kılıç, A., 2012)

3. TYPES OF ADDITIVES:
 Additives can be divided into six major categories:
 1.Preservatives
 2. Nutritional additives
 3.Flavoring agents
 4.Coloring agents
 5. Texturing agents
 6. Miscellaneous additives

4. Classification of additives by numeric range

5. Some examples:
 SWEETENERS :E950: Acesulfame K at 200 mg/kg, E951: Aspartment
at 300 mg/kg, E954: Saccharine
 COLOURING AGENTS: E 101: (1) Riboflavin (2) Riboflavin-5’-
phosphate, E 140: Chlorophylls and chlorophyllins, E141: Copper
complexes of chlorophylls and chlorophyllins, E 150a: Plain caramel,
E150c: Ammonia caramel.
 PRESERVATIVES:Sorbates: E200: Sorbic acid, E202: Potassium
sorbate

6. Preservatives:
 There are basically three types of preservatives used in foods:
antimicrobials, antioxidants, and antibrowning agents.
 Antimicrobials agents: In selecting a food antimicrobial agent,
several factors must be taken into consideration.
 First, the antimicrobial spectrum of the compound to be used
must be known
 Second, the chemical and physical properties of both the
antimicrobial and the food product must be known
 Third, the conditions of storage of the product and interactions
with other processes must be evaluated to ensure that the
antimicrobial will remain functional over time

7. CONTD..
Ex-
 Dimethyl dicarbonate (CH3–O–O–C–O–C–O–O–CH3)
 Lysozyme (1,4-β-N-acetylmuramidase )
 Natamycin (C33H47NO13)
 Nisin
 Nitrite salts (KNO2 and NaNO2)
 Organic (Acetic Acid and Acetate Salts, Benzoic Acid and
Benzoates, Lactic Acid and Lactates Propionic Acid and
Propionates, Sorbic Acid and Sorbates)

8.  Antioxidants: Antioxidants are additives capable of
delaying or preventing the rancidity of food due to
oxidation, and therefore of lengthening the shelf-
life of the products.
 Natural antioxidants: Tocopherols, Ascorbic Acid,
Rosemary Extract
 Synthetic antioxidants: BHA, BHT, Propyl Galate

9. Nutritional additives:
 The term nutritional additives can be used to mean the
addition of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, as
well as other pure chemical compounds to food in order to
improve or maintain the nutritional quality of foods.
 Like all additives, nutritional additives are commercially
available in an array of forms such as powders, encapsulated
in gelatin, emulsified in oil. The form used depends upon the
type of application.
 EX- Vitamins(A,D,E,K,C,B-COMPLEX), Carotenoids, folic acid,
Biotin, Choline, Carnitine, Inositol

10. Flavoring agents:
 A flavor enhancer is a substance that is added to a
food to supplement or enhance its original taste or
flavor. The term flavor potentiator has also been
used with the same meaning.
 The most commonly used substances in this category
are monosodium L-glutamate (MSG), disodium 5′-
inosinate (IMP), and disodium 5′-guanylate (GMP).

11. Coloring agents:
 Food colorants play a very important role in enhancing the aesthetic
appeal of food. The practice of adding colors to food dates back to
ancient times.
 NATURAL FOOD COLOURS OF BIOLOGICAL SOURCES
 A. Pigments from Plant Sources
 Flavonoids (Anthocyanin, chalcone, and flavones belong to a group of
compounds collectively known as flavonoids)
 Carotenoids-Carotenoids are noted for their great diversity and
distribution. They can be found not only in plants (e.g., carrots,
tomatoes, and capsicum) but also in bacteria, fungi, algae, and
animals

12. CONTD..
 Betalains- Betalains can be divided into two classes of
pigments, namely, betacyanins and betaxanthin.
Betacyanin refers to the red pigment
 Chlorophyll- Chlorophylls a and b are the two main types of
chlorophyll pigment found in nature. The former is a bluish
green pigment, while the latter is yellowish green in
color.(Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin, deodorant)
 B. Pigments from Animal and Insect Sources- Cochineal,
Armenian red, Kermes, Heme Pigments

14. FUNCTIONS AND USAGE OF FOOD ADDITIVES
 To maintain or improve nutritional quality
 To maintain or improve product safety or quality,
 To aid in processing or preparation
 To enhance sensory characteristics

16. Conclusion
Food additives are natural or manufactured substances, which are
added to foods for restoring colors lost during processing,
providing sweetness, preventing deterioration during storage and
guarding with preservatives against food poisoning. A food additive
is defined as a substance not normally consumed as a food in itself
and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food
whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of
which to food for a technological purpose in the manufacture,
processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or
storage of such food.