Additives

Additives Page 1

Your Health Guide

Health Guide addresses health issues and related subjects - healthy eating, exercises, etc.

Using additives to make foods safer and to improve the quality of food is something we have been doing for centuries.

We would have a more limited choice of foods, if it were not for additives, and some products would simply not exist without the addition of certain additives such as emulsifiers and stabilisers.

Additives serve a range of purposes from the colouring of food to regulating it's acidity. Some even perform more than one function, such as vitamin C which is used to prevent the discolouration of tinned fruit and fruit juices, as well as to lower the pH of food which can increase a food's shelf life.

The function of additives can be summarised as follows with details provided in the table below:

( Second part of table on this page)

*extending the shelf life of food - preservatives slow down the deterioration of food, thereby increasing a product's shelf life. Salt, vinegar, alcohol and spices extend the shelf life of food with their anti-microbial action, but manufacturers also rely on other preservatives such as benzoates, nitrates and sulphur dioxide to perform a similar function.

*preventing the oxidation of food

as soon as fruits and fruit juices, or natural fats and oils are exposed to air, they react with it's oxygen. Many fruits turn brown and fats become rancid. Ascorbic acid ( vitamin C), a natural anti-oxidant is used to stop fruit from losing it's colour, and similarly tocopherols ( vitamin E) can prevent fats and oils oxidising.

*replacing lost colours in food

colourants are added to a food to make it look better and more appetising, or to replace the colours lost in the processing of foods.

*enhancing the flavour in food

flavourants make flavours taste stronger and are used more often in savoury foods.

*they can facilitate the mixing of oil and water in some products

emulsifiers are used to help water and oil mix together. They are needed to make foods like mayonnaise, margarine and low- fat spreads.

There is some evidence that certain additives can trigger allergic reactions in susceptible people, but additives are often viewed as harmful chemicals added to food without good reason.. Experts place additives low down on the list of food hazards, and so far only one person in about 1800 is shown to have an adverse reaction to synthetic additives.

The best advice for such allergy prone individuals is to plan their diet around fresh whole foods, and thereby avoid the intake of additives found in some processed foods.


	Home Your Health Guide Additives Page 1 Additives Page 2 (More additives) Additives Page 1 Your Health Guide Health Guide addresses health issues and related subjects - healthy eating, exercises, etc. Using additives to make foods safer and to improve the quality of food is something we have been doing for centuries. We would have a more limited choice of foods, if it were not for additives, and some products would simply not exist without the addition of certain additives such as emulsifiers and stabilisers. Additives serve a range of purposes from the colouring of food to regulating it's acidity. Some even perform more than one function, such as vitamin C which is used to prevent the discolouration of tinned fruit and fruit juices, as well as to lower the pH of food which can increase a food's shelf life. The function of additives can be summarised as follows with details provided in the table below: ( Second part of table on this page) extending the shelf life of food - preservatives slow down the deterioration of food, thereby increasing a product's shelf life. Salt, vinegar, alcohol and spices extend the shelf life of food with their anti-microbial action, but manufacturers also rely on other preservatives such as benzoates, nitrates and sulphur dioxide to perform a similar function. preventing the oxidation of food as soon as fruits and fruit juices, or natural fats and oils are exposed to air, they react with it's oxygen. Many fruits turn brown and fats become rancid. Ascorbic acid ( vitamin C), a natural anti-oxidant is used to stop fruit from losing it's colour, and similarly tocopherols ( vitamin E) can prevent fats and oils oxidising. replacing lost colours in food colourants are added to a food to make it look better and more appetising, or to replace the colours lost in the processing of foods. enhancing the flavour in food flavourants make flavours taste stronger and are used more often in savoury foods. *they can facilitate the mixing of oil and water in some products emulsifiers are used to help water and oil mix together. They are needed to make foods like mayonnaise, margarine and low- fat spreads. There is some evidence that certain additives can trigger allergic reactions in susceptible people, but additives are often viewed as harmful chemicals added to food without good reason.. Experts place additives low down on the list of food hazards, and so far only one person in about 1800 is shown to have an adverse reaction to synthetic additives. The best advice for such allergy prone individuals is to plan their diet around fresh whole foods, and thereby avoid the intake of additives found in some processed foods.