The Dilemma of Food Additives
April 21, 2010
Natural or artificial additives are added to perishable and semi-perishable foods to increase shelf life and enhance appearance and taste. Traditionally, natural food additives such as vinegar, salt, sugar, and sulfur dioxide were used to store pickles, sweets, wine and many other foods. With more and more processed and packaged foods making their way onto grocery shelves, there are many more artificial additives being used to delay expiration dates.
Some common food additives are:
- Acids: Various acids such as vinegar, tartaric acid, lactic acid, citric acid, and malic acid are used as a food preservatives. They can also used to enhance flavor, mainly in beverages.
- Anticaking agents: Chemical substances used to prevent powdered products from caking or sticking. Foods such as salt, milk powder, flour, and sugar contain these agents. Includes Sodium bicarbonate (E500), Sodium Ferro cyanide (E535), Bentonite (E558) and many more.
- Antifoaming agents: Also known as defoamer. These chemical additives prevent the formation of foam in liquids. These are commonly used in industrial processes to increase production speed and reduce problems in the production process. Foods such as chicken nuggets, diet Coke & Pepsi, and sprite have antifoaming agents.
- Acidity regulators: Control agents used to change or maintain the pH value in food products. Acetic acid (E260), citric acid and lactic acid are the most common acidity regulators.
- Flavors: Additives that give a particular smell or taste to a food product. May be natural or artificially manufactured. Includes Diacetyl, Isoamyl acetate, Limonene, Benzaldehyde and many more.
- Flavor enhancers: Distillation, solvent extraction, and maceration are used to enhance the existing flavor of food items. Flavor enhancers can be natural or artificial.
- Sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners are added in some food items for people who are interested in weight loss, suffering from diabetes, or concerned with tooth decay. Common artificial sweeteners are Aspartame (brand names Equal or NutraSweet), Acesulfame potassium (Sunett), and Saccharin (Sweet 'n' Low).
- Bulking agents: These additives (such as starch) are used to increase the bulk of a food without affecting its nutritional value.
- Tracer Gas: Used in the packaging process to avoid the exposure of food to the atmosphere, thereby increasing its shelf life.
- Emulsifiers: Allows water and oil to remain mixed together. The best examples can be Vinaigrette, Hollandaise sauce, and Crema. Emulsifiers can also be found in butter, mayonnaise, and ice-cream.
- Food Coloring: These additives return the color of food lost during the manufacturing process. Used to make the food item look more attractive.
- Thickeners: Increase the viscosity of a food mixture. Thickening agents are natural gums, starches, pectins, agar-agar and gelatin.
- Humectants: Prevents food from drying out. Common examples are glycerin, propylene glycol (E 1520) and glyceryl triacetate (E1518).
There are many more food additives…
Some of the above-mentioned additives can be harmful, so each of these chemicals has been assigned a number to inform customers which additives were used in a particular food product. Usually these numbers are ‘E numbers’ used in Europe for all approved additives. The countries outside of Europe will eliminate the “E” and use the numbers. This numbering scheme was adopted and extended by Codex Alimentarius Commission to identify all additives whether approved or not.
Health practitioners maintain that consumers should check the label of packaged foods before purchasing to avoid consuming harmful additives. Many believe consumers should pay special attention to:
Artificial food colors, Nitrites and Nitrates, Sulfites, Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, Artificial sweeteners (Saccharin, Aspartame, and acesulfame-K), Preservatives such as BHA, BHT and EDTA, Artificial flavors, Olestra, Salt or sodium chloride, Food packaging with PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
To maintain optimal health, holistic practitioners believe that food additives should be avoided.
Consumers must be aware of what they are eating and must always look at the ingredients and components mentioned on the packaging. They must also educate themselves to know more about harmful additives that should be avoided. The best option is to switch to organic foods to minimize additives in their diet.
