The freshly prepared food should be consumed to maximum extent and use of processed food should be discouraged.
➢ We should decrease the amount of consumptions of packed food items which contain lots of additives.
➢ We should buy certified food items which have been legally approved by FDA.
➢ We should read instructions given on food label before consuming them.
1.5 Classification of Food Additives
Food additives can be classified into many types [45–51], such as follows:
1 1. Acidity regulator:• Acidity regulators are those substances which are used for controlling the pH of food for the stability [35].• Types of acid regulators include acidity regulator, buffer, and acidifier.• Examples: sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and acetic acid.
2 2. Anti-caking agent:• These substances are used to prevent formation of lumps in dairy products.• Types of anti-caking agents are dusting agent, antisticking agent, and dusting agent.• Examples: baking powder, milk powder, table salt, icing sugar, and cake mixes.
3 3. Bulking agent:• These substances increase the bulk of food without changing its taste.• Bulking agents include fillers.• Examples: glycerin, polydextrose, and pectin.
4 4. Antioxidants:• These additives prevent spoiling of food by oxygen.• Types of antioxidants: antioxidant synergist and anti-browning agent.• Examples: vitamin C, vitamin E, polyphenols, and zinc.
5 5. Color retention agents:• These agents are used to maintain and retain the color of food.• Types of color retention agent are color stabilizer, color fixative, and color adjunct.• Examples: sodium nitrite, citric acid, EDTA, and sodium nitrate.
6 6. Emulsifiers:• These substances are used to form uniform emulsion of more than one phase in a food. They help oil and water to remain mixed together, like in mayonnaise and ice creams.• Types: plasticizer, dispersing agent, clouding agent, crystallization inhibitor, suspension agent, and surface active agent.• Examples: egg yolk, agar, albumin, and alignates.
7 7. Flavors:• These additives are used to give characteristic taste or smell to the food.• Flavors can be naturally derived ingredients or artificially synthesized.• Examples: citric acid, acetic acid, and ethylvanillin.
8 8. Stabilizers:• Stabilizers are used for maintaining uniform dispersion of more than one component in a food and it also gives suitable texture. They are not true emulsifiers but helps in stabilizing emulsions. These are used in jams, gellies, etc.• Types of stabilizers are foam stabilizers, colloidal stabilizers, and emulsion stabilizer.• Examples: polysaccharides, starch, and proteins like gelatin.
9 9. Preservatives:• Preservatives protect food from deterioration caused by microorganisms. It prevents food from spoiling and also stops the growth of microbes.• Types of preservatives: fungistatic agent, antimycotic agent, antimicrobial synergist, bacteriophages control agent, antimould, and antirope agent.• Examples:- Benzoic acid: it increases the shelf life and protect from microorganism. Soft drink, beer, and acidic foods contain benzoic acid.- Sulfites: Fruit-based pie fillings and dried fruits are the examples of- where sulfites are found.- Nitrites: it helps in preserving the color in meat and dried fruits.
10 10. Sweeteners:• Sweeteners are added in food to give flavor. Sweeteners are unlike sugar, they are used to maintain low food calories. Sweeteners have fruitful effects on diabetes mellitus, diarrhoea, and tooth decay.• Sweetener can be naturally derived or artificially synthesized.i. Natural sweeteners are obtained from nature. For example: sugarcane, sugar beet, and fruits.ii. Artificial sweeteners are of two types:a) Non-caloric sweeteners: they do not add calories to foods like snack food and drinks. For example: saccharine and aspartame.b) Sugar alcohol: found in candies and chewing gums. They contain calories as sugar. For example: sorbitol and mannitol.• Some common sweeteners used are as follows:a) Saccharin: it is 300–500 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin is most commonly used as sweeteners. They are harmless if used in limited quantity.b) Aspartame: it is 200% sweeter than sugar and it is low calorie sweetener. It can be added to all kind of food, beverages, and medicines. It usually found naturally in protein rich food.c) Acesulfame K: it is 130–200 times sweeter than sugar and 0-calorie sweetener. It helps to reduce the calorie of product. It can be found in food preserve, dairy product, and in beverages.
11 11. Fortifying agents:• Fortifying agents are used to increase the nutritional value.• Examples: vitamins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, and dietary supplements.
12 12. Flavor enhancers:• These substances are used to enhance the existing flavor of food.• Types of flavor enhancer includes natural and artificial enhancers.• Examples: monosodium glutamate and salt.
13 13. Humectants:• These prevent food from drying.• Examples: aloe vera gel, honey, egg yolk, and lithium chloride.
1.5.1 Why Food Colors Are Preferred
Food supplements are quantized to modify the natural or original color of foods. For example, manufacturing of the strawberry jam that looks much brighter adds certain value to the foods. Sunlight can effectively affect the flavors in the foods [55–57]. Hence, dyes, pigments, or colors are added to the foods as they help to conserve the foods from detaching such nutrients. Food colors are also added to foods so they look attractive like in cakes. Foods that seems to look more appealing seem more appetizing and tend to be sold more faster.
Nowadays, food additives are more firmly studied, managed, and supervised than in past due to increasing use and demands. This responsibility of studying and determining the safe use of food additives is done by FDA (Food and Drug Administration). A manufacturer, producer, or sponsor should petition FDA for approval of food additives. After approval, they should be in agreement with specific food additive regulations [52].
FDA considers the following factors for studying the safety of a substance for its approval:
(i) Consumable amount
(ii) Properties and constitution of the substance
(iii) Long-term and instant effects of health
(iv) Evaluation of safety
(v) Environment assessment
After the approval, FDA issues regulations which includes the following: in which type of food, it must be used, highest amount to be consumed, and how it must be recognized on product labels. Since 1999, approval process is modified. Now, FDA may consult USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) during the review process of substances to be used in meats and poultry products. Regulations known as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) limit the quantity of food substances used in foods to the quantity necessary to attain the desired effect [53–55].
1.5.2 E-Numbering
• Additives are allotted a special number which is known as E-NUMBER. It is used in Europe for all the approved food additives. This process of giving characteristic number to food additives for easy identification is known as E-numbering [59].
• E-numbering is done to modulate these additives and to notify the consumers.
• The naming of all approved additives starts with the prefix “E” and
