Transcript Additives Used in Large Scale Production

Additives Used in Large Scale
Production
Additives can be;
• Natural – extractions from plants or
animals e.g. beetroot juice or vitamin C
• synthetic/nature identical – have the same
chemical structure as natural additives but
made in a laboratory
• Chemical/artificial – made by scientists
e.g. saccharin
Why are they added?
• Additives are used in small quantities to
preserve, colour, enhance the flavour & add
nutritional value to food products
• There are over 300 listed additives that are
continual reviewed to ensure they are safe (&
3000 flavourings)
• Additives are shown by name or E number on
packaging, an E number shows that it has
passed the European Community Safety
Standards
What do they do?
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Preservatives
Colours
sweeteners
Anti-oxidants
Emulsifiers & stabilizers
Flavour enhancers
Thickeners
Gelling agents
Raising agents
Anti-caking agents
Flour improvers
nutrients
What do they do?
• Preservatives – added to extend the shelf life by
preventing the growth of microbes. Processed foods with
a long shelf life often have preservatives added unless
they have be preserved by another method such as
freezing, canning or drying
• Colours – added to make food more attractive or to
replace the colours lost during processes
• Sweeteners – either intense such as saccharin used in
low sugar products-only a small amount is needed or
bulk such as hydrogenated glucose syrup which is used
in the same quantities as sugar
What do they do?
• Anti-oxidants – added to stop fats becoming
rancid & prevents from slow enzymic browning
• Emulsifiers and stabilizers – added to allow fats
& oils to mix with water to make low fat spreads
& salad dressings
• Flavour enhancers – added to replace flavour
lost during processing or to add flavour
• Thickens – which are used to thicken liquids
• Gelling agents added to change the consistency
of food e.g. sweets & jams
What do they do?
• Raising agents – added to give a lighter
texture to baked good
• Anti-caking improvers – added to stops dry
ingredients from sticking together
• Flour improvers – helps the properties of
flour
• Nutrients – used to enrich certain foods &
to replace nutrients lost during processing
Type, E numbers, found in;
• Preservatives – E200s – soft drinks, processed meats &
cheeses, dried fruit, dehydrated vegetables, beer, wine
• Colours – E110s – fruit yogurts, sweets, gravy mix
• Anti-oxidants – E300-E321– veg oils, packet desserts, margarin
• Emulsifiers & stabilizers – E322-E499 – chocolate, powdered
milk, cheese, mayonnaise
• Flavour enhancers – E600s/flavourings/natural flavours –
sweets, spicy food products, herby food products, soups snack
• Thickeners – sauces, salad dressings, syrups,
• Gelling agents – i.e. E440 which is pectin used in jams
• Raising agents – sodium bicarbonate
• Anti-caking agents – calcium silicate – flour, packet soups &
desserts, cocoa powder
• Flour improvers – ascorbic acid (vitamin C) – strong flour
• Nutrients – vitamins & iron
Advantages of food additives
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Many foods would not exist without additives
Prevents food spoilage
Prolongs shelf life
Increases or maintains the nutritional value
Improves appearance
Improves flavour
can help the processing
Can help the preparation
Disadvantages of food additives
• Long-term effects of consuming additives
are not always known
• Some people are sensitive to additives
• The could be unnecessary
• Some people do not like chemicals being
put in their food
• They could be used to mask inferior food