Food AdditiveDay-1

Ismat Luna

What is a food additive?

The additional ingredients people mix with food to preserve or make the food attractive .

Definition of “Food Additives”

“A food additive is any chemical substance that is added to food during preparation or storage and either becomes a part of the food or affects its characteristics for the purpose of achieving a particular technical effect. Substances that are used in food to maintain its nutritive quality, enhance its keeping quality, make it attractive or to aid in its processing, packaging or storage are all considered to be food additives.”

Reference: Health Canada Website

Types of Food Additives

Coloring additivesFlavoring additivesPreservativesAntioxidantsEmulsifiers

Food Coloring Additives

Examples Allura Red (Ice cream,smoked fish) Alkanet (in jam, juice, milk product) Ethyle B-apo-8Caroteonate (Ketchup,pickles)

Brilliant Blue FCF(caviar, relish) Sunset yellow FCF( Sausage, corn snack)

Reference: Health Canada

Food Preservatives

Ascorbic Acid (Canned fruits, canned vegetables)

Potassium Nitrate (Dry sausage, canned meat)

Sodium Ascorbate (Canned applesauce, beer)

Sodium Nitrate (Dry sausage, ripened cheese)

Antioxidants of Food

Ascorbic Acid (cut fruits, dried potatoes)

Tocopherols (oil, meat pies)BHA (margarine, crisps)Citric Acids (biscuits, soup,jam)

Food Emulsifier (Ref. google image)

Emulsifiers

Acacia Gum (cream, salad dressing, sherbet)

Acetylated Monoglycerides ( bread)Agar( meatloaf, mustered pickles)Calcium Phosphate( cream cheese

spread)Gellan Gum (frostings, margarine)

Ref: Google image

Permitted Food Additives in Canada

Hundreds of food additives are permitted to use in foods in Canada and other countries of the world.

Over 850 food additives are approved for use in Canada.

To see “Permitted Food Additive List” published by Health Canada please visit:

Health Canada :http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/index-eng.php

What do food additives do?

Maintain freshness and food safety of food by

slowing down the spoilage process, controlling contamination that causes food-borne illness Make food better-tasting and better-looking

by

preventing loss of flavor , discoloration, keeps the texture etc. Improve nutritional value by adding

vitamins and minerals

How do the additives benefit the retailers and customers?

Retailers are benefitted by Increasing shelf life of food Decreasing waste from spoiled food and transport

food around the globe Increase sales by many attractive varieties of food

Customers are benefitted by Increasing choice of product by importing food form

far away countries Making the food faster to prepare