Food additive 11815 221429663 2008-06-24T13:34:20Z 212.219.230.138 {{nofootnotes|date=February 2008}} {{portal|Food}} '''Food additives''' are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by [[pickling]] (with [[vinegar]]), [[edible salt|salt]]ing, as with [[bacon]], preserving [[sweets]] or using [[sulfur dioxide]] as in some [[wine]]s. 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. == Numbering == To regulate these additives, and inform consumers, each additive is assigned a unique number. Initially these were the "[[E number]]s" used in [[Europe]] for all approved additives. This numbering scheme has now been adopted and extended by the [[Codex Alimentarius]] Commission to internationally identify all additives, regardless of whether they are approved for use. E numbers are all prefixed by "[[E]]", but countries outside Europe use only the number, whether the additive is approved in Europe or not. For example, [[acetic acid]] is written as E260 on products sold in Europe, but is simply known as additive 260 in some countries. Additive 103, [[alkanet]], is not approved for use in Europe so does not have an E number, although it is approved for use in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. Since 1987 Australia has had an approved system of labelling for additives in packaged foods. Each food additive has to be named or numbered. The numbers are the same as in Europe, but without the prefix 'E'. The [[United States]] [[Food and Drug Administration]] listed these items as "[[Generally recognized as safe]]" or [[GRAS]] and these are listed under both their [[Chemical Abstract Services]] number and FDA regulation listed under the US [[Code of Federal Regulations]] * See [[list of food additives]] for a complete list of all the names. * See [[E number]] for the numbers. ==Categories== Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them. ;Acids : Food [[acid]]s are added to make flavors "sharper", and also act as preservatives and antioxidants. Common food acids include [[vinegar]], [[citric acid]], [[tartaric acid]], [[malic acid]], [[fumaric acid]], [[lactic acid]]. ;Acidity regulators : [[Acidity regulator]]s are used to change or otherwise control the acidity and [[alkaline|alkalinity]] of foods. ;Anticaking agents : [[Anticaking agent]]s keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking. ;Antifoaming agents : [[Antifoaming agent]]s reduce or prevent foaming in foods. ;Antioxidants : [[Antioxidant]]s such as [[vitamin C]] act as preservatives by inhibiting the effects of [[oxygen]] on food, and can be beneficial to health. ;Bulking agents : [[Bulking agent]]s such as [[starch]] are additives that increase the bulk of a food without affecting its nutritional value. ;Food coloring : [[Food coloring|Colorings]] are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation, or to make food look more attractive. ;Color retention agents : In contrast to colorings, [[color retention agent]]s are used to preserve a food's existing color. ;Emulsifiers : [[Emulsifier]]s allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an [[emulsion]], as in [[mayonnaise]], [[ice cream]], and homogenized [[milk]]. ;Flavors : [[Flavor]]s are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially. ;Flavor enhancers : [[Flavor enhancer]]s enhance a food's existing flavors. They may be extracted from natural sources (through [[distillation]], [[solvent extraction]], [[maceration]], among other methods) or created artificially. ;Flour treatment agents : [[Flour treatment agent]]s are added to [[flour]] to improve its color or its use in [[baking]]. ;Humectants : [[Humectant]]s prevent foods from drying out. ;Tracer gas: [[Tracer-gas leak testing method| Tracer gas]] allow for package integrity testing to prevent foods from being exposed to atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life. ;Preservatives : [[Preservative]]s prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to [[fungi]], [[bacterium|bacteria]] and other [[microorganism]]s. ;Stabilizers : [[Stabilizer (chemistry)|Stabilizer]]s, thickeners and gelling agents, like [[agar]] or [[pectin]] (used in [[jam]] for example) give foods a firmer texture. While they are not true [[emulsifier]]s, they help to stabilize [[emulsion]]s. ;Sweeteners : [[Sweetener]]s are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than [[sugar]] are added to keep the [[food energy]] ([[calorie]]s) low, or because they have beneficial effects for [[diabetes mellitus]] and [[tooth decay]] and [[diarrhea]]. ;Thickeners : [[Thickener]]s are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its [[viscosity]] without substantially modifying its other properties. ==Other Info== Food additives are substances which are added in small amounts to processed foods for a specific purpose. Food additives have been used for centuries. Salt, sugar and vinegar were among the first and used to preserve foods. In the past 30 years, however, with the advent of processed foods, there has been a massive explosion in the chemical adulteration of foods with additives. Considerable controversy has been associated with the potential threats and possible benefits of food additives.<br />In several cases, artificial food additives have been linked with cancer, digestive problems, and neurological conditions such as ADD. They can be also linked with diseases like heart disease, obesity, rapid heartbeat and more. Though some people feel organic additives are preferable to artificial ones, others point out that "natural" additives themselves may be harmful in large quantities (such as salt) or may contain natural toxins, such as chemicals made by plants to defend themselves<ref>Schlosser, Eric. (2001) Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin</ref>. The U.S. Food Labelling Regulations (1984) describe an additive as: :'any substance not commonly regarded or used as a food, which is added or used in or on food at any stage to affect its keeping qualities, texture, consistency, appearance, taste, odour, alkalinity or acidity or to serve any other technological function in relation to food.' ==See also== * [[Delaney clause]] * [[Dietary supplement]] * [[Food fortification]] * [[Food processing]] * [[Food supplements]] * [[List of food additives]] * [[Nutraceutical]] * [[Nutrification]] (aka food enrichment). ==References== *U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (1993). ''Everything Added to Food in the United States.'' Boca Raton, FL: C.K. Smoley (c/o CRC Press, Inc.). *The Food Labelling Regulations (1984) *Advanced Modular Science, Nelson, Food and Health, by John Adds, Erica Larkcom and Ruth Miller <references/> ==External links== * [http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/13788/Food-trade-s-juicy-secrets Food Trade's Juicy Secrets] by [[John Triggs]] in the [[Daily Express]] July 17 2007 * [http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/eafus.html Everything Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS) i.e. Castor oil, etc.] * [http://www.grokfood.com/ Database of food additives and regulations governing their use] * [http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sfp/flav_index_en.html EU legislation on food additives] * [http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm CSPI's guide to food additives], ([http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/additives.pdf PDF]) * [http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/foodmatters/foodadditives.cfm Food Standards Australia and New Zealand page on food additives] * [http://ecka.dotek.cz Database of food additives for mobile phones (freeware)] {{Food chemistry}} [[Category:Food additives]] [[Category:Food science]] [[ar:المواد المضافة للطعام]] [[bg:Хранителна добавка]] [[cs:Přídatné látky]] [[da:Tilsætningsstof]] [[de:Lebensmittelzusatzstoff]] [[et:Toidulisaained]] [[es:Aditivo alimentario]] [[fr:Additif alimentaire]] [[gl:Aditivo]] [[hr:Prehrambeni aditivi]] [[io:Nutrivala adicioneso]] [[id:Aditif makanan]] [[it:Additivi alimentari]] [[he:תוסף מזון]] [[lb:Liewensmëttelzousätz]] [[lt:Maisto priedas]] [[nl:Additief]] [[ja:食品添加物]] [[pl:Dodatek do żywności]] [[pt:Aditivo alimentar]] [[ru:Пищевые добавки]] [[fi:Lisäaine]] [[sv:Livsmedelstillsats]] [[vi:Phụ gia thực phẩm]] [[tr:Gıda katkısı]] [[uk:Харчові добавки]] [[zh:食品添加剂]]