Food Additives
welcome you again to yet another edition of ‘Wonders of the Universe’. In the last edition, we took you all to the ancient world of Chinese medicine and showed you, how those Chinese herbs and extracts are healing the present world. On this issue, we will have a tour to the world of food-processing. We will discover the extra ingredients that we are eating everyday with our regular processed foods – “Food Additives”.
Check the Nutrition Facts before you buy it.
Why use additives?
In food processing, many substances are added. They are called food additives. A food additive is defined as a substance which is not normally eaten or drunk as a food either by itself or as a typical ingredient of food. Salt and sugar are added to foods but are not called additives. No substance may be used as an additive unless the food manufacturer can give a good reason for its use. The reasons for using additives are:
? To flavour food
? To colour food
? To alter the texture of the food
? To preserve food
Additives are chemicals, but so are proteins, vitamins and all the other substances which occur naturally in foodstuffs. In 1950, 50 additives were in general use, now 3500 additives are used in our food.
Types of food additives
Additives which alter the taste of food:
Flavourings: Flavourings are the largest group of food additives, with about 3000 in use. The large number is not so surprising when it takes a mixture of up to 50 substances to produce a natural flavour such as apple or peach.
Sweetened food
Sweeteners: The commonest sweetener is sucrose (sugar); this is a food, not an additive. Some people want to cut down on sucrose either because it causes tooth decay or because they are overweight. Diabetics cannot cope with sucrose. Substitutes are saccharin, sorbitol and mannitol.
Flavour enhancers: Flavour enhancers are not flavourings; they are substances which make existing flavours seem stronger. The best known is monosodium glutamite, MSG. It stimulates the taste buds.
Additives which alter the colour of food:
When food is processed, it may lose some of its colour; then the manufacturer will want to restore the original colour of the food. Different countries vary widely in the number of colourings allowed. Colourings are not added to baby foods.
Additives which alter the texture of food:
Emulsifiers and stabilizers: When oil and water are added, they form two layers. Some substances, called emulsifiers, can make oil and water mix. The mixture is called an emulsion. Any substance which helps to prevent the emulsion from separating out again is called a stabilizer. Margarine, ice cream and salad dressings all use emulsifiers and stabilizers.
Thickeners: You will see that ‘modified starch’ appears on many labels. It is used to thicken foods. It can be a main ingredient of instant soups and puddings.
Anti-caking agents and humectants: Anti-caking agents are substances which can absorb water without becoming wet. They are added to powdery or crystalline foods, such as cake mixtures cake mixes and table salt, to prevent lumps from forming. Humectants keep products moist. They are added to products such as bread and cakes.
Gelling agents: to make jams, desserts etc. set a gelling agent is added. Pectin is the commonest.
Anti-oxidants:
Foods which contains fats and oils can turn rancid on exposure to the air. The fats and oils are oxidized to unpleasant-smelling acids. Anti-oxidants are added to prevent oxidation. Two common ones are BHA and BHT (butylated hydroyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene). Sulfur dioxide and sulfites are widely used as anti-oxidants. They have two effects: as well as preventing oxidation of fats and oils, they also deprive micro-organisms of the oxygen they need and delay their growth.
Food preservatives
Preservatives:
Food is stored in the warehouse, in the shop and in the home before it is eaten. Chemical preservatives are added to stop the growth of micro organisms. Preservatives increase the food’s shell-life, i.e. the length of time the food will keep before it deteriorates. Longer shell-lives mean less wastage on the shelves. This allows the shop keeper to charge lower prices and to stock a wider range of foods. Some people are doubtful about whether the customer receives all the benefit of the lower prices. Some people believe that the savings from the widespread use of additives go to the food manufacturers rather than the customers.
Controls on additives
It is illegal to put anything harmful into food. Before an additive may be used, it must be approved by the Government. By law, all additives must be safe that is, safe or almost everyone. Some people are made ill by some additives, but then some people are made ill by some natural foods.
Are additives good for you?
Some foods make some people ill. When a person reacts to a food by becoming ill, the reaction is called an intolerance reaction or an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions can take the form of asthma (breathing difficulty), eczema (a skin complaint), digestive troubles, rhinitis (like hay fever), headaches, migraines and hyperactivity. Putting hyperactive children on a diet free from additives often produces a dramatic improvement. Tartrzine (E102), a yellow dye, is the one that is most under suspicion. It is use in sweets, fizzy drinks and packet desserts. If you know that you are allergic to tartrazine, you can read the labels on the foods you fancy and reject any which list E102. Many of the large supermarket chains are reducing the number of additives in their products, and some firms are offering additive-free items.
Eid Mubarak
Dear buddies, its again the time to say good bye to you all. Hope you all will have a blast on the Eid-day. The main reason behind this article was to warn you about the extra foods that we all will eventually have during the Iftars and Suhur. Be careful about your foods and drink ample amount of water.
Hope to see you again in the next edition of ‘wonders of the universe’, till then ba bye. Do send us your feedback.
Asif Mahmood Abbas