Food additives are the substances added to food items to preserve its flavor or to improve its taste and appearance. People have used some additives for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets, carbon dioxide, as in cold drinks, using sulphur dioxide as in some wines. Various natural and artificial additives have been introduced in the latter half of the twentieth century after the advent of processed food items.
A food additive is not the original foodstuff but is a substance or a mixture of substance which is added in food items as a result of any aspect of production, processing, storage or packaging. It could be noted that food additives are not a natural part of a food item but are added intentionally.
There is a permissible amount of food additive to be added in a food item. To check it different countries have developed different laws pertaining to which food additives can be used and in which foods, for e.g. the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and Rules in India. These laws specify the amounts and names of food additives which can be added to certain foods.
CLASSIFICATION AND FUNCTIONAL ROLE OF FOOD ADDITIVES
The classification of Food additives is done on the basis of their function in food, i.e. the purpose for which the additive has been added to the food. Some of the
Classes of Food additives are given below:
- Antioxidants like lecithin, ascorbic acid, and tocopherol.
- Preservatives like sulphites, nitrates and nitrites, benzoic acid, sorbic acid.
- Food colors like beta carotene, chlorophyll, riboflavin, annatto, saffron, curcumin or turmeric.
- Food flavours like Monosodium glutamate.
- Emulsifiers and stabilizers like agar, alginates, dextrin, sorbitol, pectin, cellulose, mono glycerides or diglycerides of fatty acids.
- Artificial sweeteners cane sugar, glucose syrup, and polyols.
- Miscellaneous: Anti-caking agents; sequesterants; acids, bases, and buffers; anti-foaming agents, enzymes, leavening agents.
In broader terms these Food additives can be classified as:
- Direct food additives and
- Indirect food additives
Direct food additives are added to a food for a specific purpose in that food e.g. synthetic color. Indirect food additives become part of the food in trace amounts due to packaging, storage or other handling.
klkapoor says
Very informative
klkapoor says
I think all added substances eg alginates are not required to be declared on label as per fassai pls advise
Juan Jesús Montero says
Hi ,
I’m a andorid developer based in Madrid, and I’ve developed the app. aditfy (in google play).
It’s intended for helping people to deal with food additives.
I’m trying to adapt it a bit for blind pleople.
Any suggesting will be welcomed.
Best regards
Juanje