FOOD ADDITIVES

  1. Food additives are chemicals that are added to food in a small quantities for specific purposes such as:

(a)    Making food last longer by preventing the growth of  microorganism and oxidation of fats and oils by oxygen in air.

(b)   Making food taste or smell better.

(c)    Improving the texture of food and to prevent food from becoming liquid.

(d)   Restoring the colour of food destroyed during food processing.

(e)   Adding colouring to food so as to make the food look fresher, more interesting or more appetising.

TYPE OF FOOD ADDITIVES

·         Preservatives (are chemicals that are added to food retard or to prevent the growth of microorganism)

Eg: sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium benzoate.

·         Antioxidants (are chemicals that are added to food to prevent the oxidation of fats and oils by oxygen in the air)

Eg: ascorbic acid, butanoic acid.

·         Flavouring Agents ( make food taste better)

Eg: Monosodium glutamate(MSG), aspartame, saccharin.

·         Stabilisers (enable oil and water in the food to mix together properly in order to form an emulsion.)

Eg: gelatin, acacia gums,lecithin,pectin

·         Thickeners (thicken the liquid and prevent the food fron liquefying & absorb water and thicken the liquid in food to produce a jelly-like structure)

Eg: gelatin, pectin

·         Dyes (give food colour so as to improve their appearance)

Eg: azo compounds, triphenyl compounds

FUNCTION AND THE USES OF FOOD ADDITIVE

  Preservative: To inhibit or prevent the growth of moulds, yeast and bacteria that spoil food.

Preservatives	Uses
·  Sodium nitrite, NaNO2 ·  Sodium nitrate, NaNO3	~To preserve meat,sausage, cheese and dried fish ~To prevent food poisoning in canned food ~To maintain the natural colour of meat and to make them look fresh
. Benzoic acid, C6H5COOH .Sodium benzoate, C6H5COONa	~ To preserve sauces, fruit juice, jam and margarine.
·  Sulphur dioxide, SO2 ·   Sodium sulphate, Na2SO3	~Used as bleaches and antioxidants to prevent browning in fruit juices. ~ Maintain the colour and freshness of vegetables. ~ To prevent the growth of microorganisms.

 Antioxidants: To prevent spoilage of food due to oxidation by oxygen

#  Antioxidants are added to fats, oils, cakes, sausages, biscuits, and fried food to slow down the oxidation process.

    Flavouring agents: To enhance the taste of food.

# Flavour enchancers

     ~Monosodium glutamate(MSG) – bring out the flavour  or to enhance the taste of food.

# Artificial flavour

                 ~ As a substitute for sugar to enchance the sweeteness in food and drink.

Ester	Benzyl ethanoaet	Octyl ethanoate	Ethyl butanoate
Flavour	Strawberry	Orange	Pineapple

Stabilisers and thickeners: To improve the texture of food.

# Stabilisers

      ~ added to ice cream and peanut butter to keep them smooth and creamy

# Thickeners (Gelatin and Pectin)

      ~ added to help jams and jelliesset

 Colouring agents(Dyes): To restore the colour or to enhance the natural colour of food

# Dyes

      ~ Restore the colour of food lost during food processing.

      ~ Enhance natural colours, so as to increase the attractiveness of food.

      ~ Give colour to food that do not have colour.

EFFECT OF FOOD ADDITIVE

ALLERGY

·         Sodium sulphite (preservative), BHA and BHT (antioxidant), (eh. Yellow No. 5) can causes allergic reaction in some people.

·         The symptoms of MSG allergy are giddiness, chest pain and difficulty in breathing. This condition is called the ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome

·         The presence of sodium nitrate or sodium  nitrite in food can cause ‘blue baby’ syndrome that is fatal for babies. This syndrome is due to the lack of oxygen in the blood. Hence, the use of nitrate and nitrite is not allowed in baby food.

CANCER

·         Chemicals that cause cancer are called carcinogens. Sodium nitrite (preservative) is a potent carcinogen.

·         The nitrite reacts with amines in food to produce nitrosamine which can cause cancer.

BRAIN DAMAGE

·         Excessive intake of nitrites for a prolonged period of time can cause brain damage. In this condition, the supply of oxygen to the brain is disrupted and this cause brain damage.

HYPERACTIVITY

·     Food additives such as tartrazine can cause hyperactivity.

· Children who are hyperactivity become very active, find it difficult to relax or sleep and are very restless.