Functions of Food Additives

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Functions of Food Additives
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Two Functions

• Additives legally allowed when benefits outweigh
  risks.
• Two functions of intentional additives are
• Maintain/improve nutritional quality.
• Facilitate production, processing, or
  preparation.
• Approximately 3,000 intentional food additives in
  12 major groups.

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Twelve Major Groups

• Preservatives
• Antioxidants
• Sequestrants
• Surface Active Agents
• Stabilizers and Thickeners
• Bleaching and Maturing Agents, Starch Modifiers

• Buffers, Acids, Alkalies
• Food Colors
• Food Substitutes
• Nutritional Additives
• Flavoring Agents
• Miscellaneous Additives

B-4.01 Functions of Food Additives
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Preservatives

• Prevent or slow spoilage
• Maintain natural flavors and colors
• Examples
• Sodium benzoate soft drinks and acidic foods
• Calcium propionate breads and cakes
• Sorbic acid moist dog foods

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Antioxidants

• Prevents oxidation of lipids.
• Without antioxidants, shelf life of
  fat-containing foods would be short.
• Examples
• Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) chips
• Sulfur dioxide processed fruits and vegetables.

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Sequestrants

• Chelating agents to scavenge metal ions.
• Combine with iron and copper, which are catalysts
  of oxidation and contribution to off-color.
• Examples
• Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)
• Citric acid -- fruits

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Surface Active Agents

• Emulsifiers used to stabilize oil-in water and
  water-in-oil mixtures, gas-in-liquid mixtures,
  and gas-in-solid mixtures.
• Examples
• Lecithin
• Monoglycerides and diglycerides

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Stabilizers and Thickeners

• Stabilize and thicken food by combining with
  water to increase viscosity and to form gels.
• Used in gravies, pie fillings, cake toppings,
  chocolate milk, salad dressings.
• Examples
• Gum arabic
• Carrageenan
• Pectin

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Bleaching and Maturing Agents, Starch Modifiers

• Bleaching and maturing agents improve color of
  flours
• Examples -- chlorine dioxide and chlorine
  compounds
• Starch modifiers oxidize starch so is more water
  soluble.
• Examples sodium hypochlorite

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Buffers, Acids, and Alkalies

• These additives adjust pH and control pH.
• Derived from natural sources or chemically
  synthesized.
• Examples include
• Citric, tartaric, malic, and fumaric acid
  fruit-flavored drinks.
• Phosphoric acid colas, root beer, and other
  non-fruit drinks

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Food Colors

• Produce appetizing and attractive qualities.
• Artificial and naturally-occurring colors used.
• Artificial colors
• Tested and certified by U.S. FDA
• Generally excel in color power, uniformity,
  stability and lower cost
• Labeled as artificial
• Naturally-occurring colors
• Annatto, caramel, carotene, and saffron

B-4.01 Functions of Food Additives
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Food Substitutes

• Also known as fat, sugar, and salt substitutes.
• Sugar nutritive and non-nutritive
• Fat starch-based, protein-based, and
  manufactured.
• Salt potassium chloride

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Nutritional Additives

• Added as supplements and enrichment mixtures
• Examples
• Vitamin D -- milk
• B vitamins and iron -- cereal products
• Iodine -- salt
• Vitamin A margarine
• Vitamin C fruit juices and fruit-flavored
  desserts

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Flavoring Agents

• Natural and synthetic flavors are added.
• Natural spices, herbs, essentials oils, and
  plant extracts
• Synthetic benzaldehyde, ethyl butyrate, MSG
• Over 1200 flavoring materials used
• largest single group of food additives.
• Used in trace amounts.
• Also includes flavor enhancers and potentiators.

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Miscellaneous Additives

• Promote growth of bakers yeast ammonium
  sulfate
• Firming agents calcium chloride
• Anticaking agents calcium phosphate
• Clarifying agents for wine bentonite
• Solvents ethanol, acetone, and hexane
• Curing meat sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate
• Crystallization inhibitors -- oxystearin