5.2 Food Additives

Types of food additives
■ Purpose of food additive

	►	Add flavour
	►	Preserve the food
	►	Improve the food texture
	►	Supply nutrients
	►	Enhance the colour and appearance

■ Types of food additives

	►	Preservatives
	►	Antioxidants
	►	Flavourings
	►	Stabilizers
	►	Thickeners
	►	Colourings

■ This video contains some basic information about food additives.

Preservative
■ Preservative

	►	Added to food to inhibit the growth of bacteria, molds and other microorganisms.
	►	Can increase or extend the self life of food.
	►	Examples of food preservative: Table salt Used to preserve fish and bacon Sugar Used to preserve jelly, fruit jams and fruits Vinegar Used to preserve cut fruits, vegetable and chilli Benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) Used in jams, beer, preserved fruit, pickles, fruit juice, desert sauces and syrups Sodium benzoate (C6H5COONa) Used to preserve fruit juice, chilli sauce and tomato sauce Calcium propuinate ((C2H5COO)2Ca) Used to preserve bread and other baked goods Sodium nitrite (NaNO2) Used to preserve frozen meat, tinner meat, sausages and burgers

■ This video contains information regarding food preservatives.

Antioxidant
■ Food oxidation

	►	When kept for a long time, tends to be oxidised or deteriorate.
	►	Oxidation of oil in food cause the food characteristic change: ○ Becoming rancid. ○ Changing the taste and color. ○ May be toxic.
	►	Processes food that contains antioxidants : cakes, biscuits, margarine, deep fried food and vegetable oil.

■ This video shows why do apples turn brown when exposed to air.

■ Antioxidants

	►	Added to prevent deterioration of fats and oils.
	►	Prevent fats and oils from oxidation that cause rancid fats.
	►	Vegetable oils contain natural antioxidants.
	►	Antioxidant types: ○ Ascorbic acid - Helps to prevent cut and pulped foods from going brown by preventing oxidation reactions that cause the discolouration. ○ Citric acid - Helps to increase the anti-oxidant effects of other substances. ○ Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) - Helps to prevent the reactions that break down fats and cause the food to go rancid .
	►	Vitamin C also an antioxidant for fresh fruits and frozen fish.

■ This video contains information regarding antioxidants in food.

Flavouring agents
■ Flavouring

►

Functions to: ○ improve the taste of food. ○ restore taste loss during food processing.

■ Example of most common food flavouring agents

	►	Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) ○ A salt of glutamic acid. ○ No flavour of its own, but it bring out the flavour in meat and fish. ○ Produced from wheat, corn, soybeans or rice.
	►	Aspartame ○ Artificial sweetener (200 times as sweet as natural sugar). ○ A non-carbohydrate sweetener with no caloric value. ○ Suitable for diebetic patient and people who want to lose weight ○ Not suitable for cooking food.
	►	Asesulfame-K ○ Artificial sweetener used in soft drinks, yogurt and desserts. ○ Can be used at higher temperature.

■ This video contains information regarding antioxidants in food.

Stabilisers and thickeners
■ Stabilisers

	►	Functions to: ○ make food taste smoother and finer. ○ help oil and water in food mixed well ○ make food remained in emulsify at all times
	►	Example : ○ acacia gum – used in chewing gum, jelly ○ lecithin - in egg yolk and soy beans
	►	Often added to food such as : Ice-cream Salad dressing Milk Creamy soup

Stabilisers and thickeners
■ Stabilisers

	►	Added to alter the texture of food so that the food become thicker
	►	Example of thickening agents thickeners : ○ pectin – used in jam ○ gelatin – used in yogurt

■ This video contains information regarding stabilisers and thickeners in food.

Food colouring
■ Colouring

	►	Added to enhance the visual appearance of food
	►	Made from natural and artificial food dyes
	►	Colouring ingredients : ○ vegetables dyes ○ inorganic pigments ○ combinations of organic and metallic compounds
	►	Azo compounds are synthetic dyes ○ Red, orange or yellow colours ○ Tartrazine which is orange colour added to orange drinks, apricot jam
	►	Triphenyl compounds ○ Green, blue or purple colours ○ Brilliant Blue (FCF) to give colour to sweets
	►	Other types of dye used : ○ Curcumin - Orange-yellow colour that is extracted from the roots of the turmeric plant. ○ Beta-carotene - Orange-yellow colour found in plants such as carrots, tomatoes and oranges.

■ This video contains information regarding food colouring.

The effect of food additives on health and environment
■ Food additives on health

	►	Excessive intake of food preservatives may cause potential damage to health
	►	Natural or vegetables additives are generally safe
	►	Artificial and synthetic additives have toxic effect
	►	All food additives in Malaysia should follow the Food Act of 1983

■ Effects of food additives on health

►

Food additives Harmful effects if taken in excess Tartrazine Asthma Hyperactive children Sodium nitrite Cancer Monosodium glutamate Have side effects : ○ difficulties in breathing ○ headaches ○ dizziness ○ vomiting Sodium benzoate Can cause allergic reactions to our bodies Can affect the smooth function of our nerves Colouring substances Cancer Migraine Allergy Deformed babies

■ This video contains information regarding effects of consuming food with excess food additivess.

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