The different forms ofemulsifierlecithin – powder, two different concentration liquids, granular and powder lecithin
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives, such as vinegar (pickling), salt (salting), smoke (smoking) and sugar (crystallization), have been used for centuries topreserve food. This allows for longer-lasting foods, such as bacon, sweets, and wines.
With the advent ofultra-processed foods in the late 20th century, many additives having both natural and artificial origin were introduced. Food additives also include substances that may be introduced to food indirectly (called "indirect additives") in the manufacturing process throughpackaging, storage or transport.[1]
In Europe and internationally, many additives are designated withE numbers, while in the United States, additives in amounts deemed safe for human consumption are designated asGRAS.
To regulate these additives and inform consumers each additive is assigned a unique number called an "E number", which is used in Europe for all approved additives. This numbering scheme has been adopted and extended by theCodex Alimentarius Commission as theInternational Numbering System for Food Additives (INS) to internationally identify all additives (INS number.,[2]
E numbers are all prefixed by "E", but countries outside Europe use only the number, whether the additive is approved in Europe or not.
For example,acetic acid is written as E260 on products sold in Europe, but is simply known as additive 260 in some countries. Additive 103,alkannin, is not approved for use in Europe, so does not have an E number, although it is approved for use in Australia and New Zealand. Since 1987, Australia has had an approved system of labelling for additives in packaged foods. Each food additive has to be named or numbered. The numbers are the same as in Europe, but without the prefix "E".[citation needed]
Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap because some additives exert more than one effect. For example, salt is both a preservative as well as a flavor.[7][8]
Flavorings are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially.
In Europe, flavorings do not have an E-code and they are not considered as food additives.
Flavor enhancers enhance a food's existing flavors. A popular example ismonosodium glutamate. Some flavor enhancers have their own flavors that are independent of the food.
Stabilizers, thickening and gelling agents, likeagar orpectin (used injam for example) give foods a firmer texture. While they are not true emulsifiers, they help to stabilizeemulsions.
Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than sugar are added to keep thefood energy (calories) low.
Thickening agents are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase itsviscosity without substantially modifying its other properties.
With the increasing use of processed foods since the 19th century, food additives are more widely used. Many countries regulate their use. For example,boric acid was widely used as a food preservative from the 1870s to the 1920s,[10][11] but was banned afterWorld War I due to its toxicity, as demonstrated in animal and human studies. DuringWorld War II, the urgent need for cheap, available food preservatives led to boric acid being used again, but it was finally banned in the 1950s.[10] Such cases led to a general mistrust of food additives, and an application of theprecautionary principle led to the conclusion that only additives that are known to be safe should be used in foods. In the United States, this induced adoption of theDelaney clause, an amendment to theFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, stating that nocarcinogenic substances may be used as food additives.[12] However, after the banning ofcyclamates in the United States and Britain in 1969,saccharin, the only remaining legalartificial sweetener at the time, was found to cause cancer in rats.[13] Widespread public outcry in the United States, partly communicated to Congress by postage-paid postcards supplied in the packaging ofsweetened soft drinks, led to the retention of saccharin, despite its violation of the Delaney clause.[14] However, in 2000, saccharin was found to be carcinogenic in rats due only to their unique urine chemistry.[15][16]
In 2007,Food Standards Australia New Zealand published an official shoppers' guidance with which the concerns of food additives and their labeling are mediated.[17] In the EU, it can take 10 years or more to obtain approval for a new food additive. This includes five years of safety testing, followed by two years for evaluation by theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and another three years before the additive receives an EU-wide approval for use in every country in the European Union.[18] Apart from testing and analyzing food products during the whole production process to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory standards,Trading Standards officers (in the UK) protect the public from any illegal use or potentially dangerous mis-use of food additives by performing random testing of food products.[19]
There has been controversy associated with the risks and benefits of food additives.[4] Natural additives may be similarly harmful or be the cause of allergic reactions in certain individuals. For example,safrole was used to flavorroot beer until it was shown to be carcinogenic. Due to the application of the Delaney clause, it may not be added to foods, even though it occurs naturally insassafras and sweetbasil.[20]
In 2012, the EFSA proposed the tier approach to evaluate the potential toxicity of food additives. It is based on four dimensions: toxicokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion);genotoxicity; subchronic (at least 90 data) and chronic toxicity andcarcinogenity; reproductive and developmental toxicity.[21]
A subset of food additives,micronutrients added infood fortification processes preservenutrient value by providingvitamins andminerals to foods such as flour, cereal, margarine and milk which normally would not retain such high levels.[22] Added ingredients, such as air, bacteria, fungi, and yeast, also contribute manufacturing and flavor qualities, and reduce spoilage.[23]
The United States Food and Drug Administration defines a food additive as "any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result directly or indirectly in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristics of any food".[5][8] For a novel food additive to be approved, a food additive approval petition must be submitted to the FDA.[1] The identity of the ingredient, the proposed use in the food system, the technical effect of the ingredient, a method of analysis for the ingredient in foods, information on the manufacturing process, and full safety reports must be defined in a food additive petition.[1][8] The FDA evaluates the chemical composition of the ingredient, the quantities that would be typically consumed, acute and chronic health impacts, and other safety factors.[1][8] The FDA reviews the petition prior to market approval of the additive.[1]
^Assessment of technologies for determining cancer risks from the environment. Darby, Pennsylvania, USA: DIANE publishing. 1981. p. 177.ISBN1-4289-2437-X.
^Whysner, J.; Williams, GM. (1996). "Saccharin mechanistic data and risk assessment: urine composition, enhanced cell proliferation, and tumor promotion".Pharmacol Ther.71 (1–2):225–52.doi:10.1016/0163-7258(96)00069-1.PMID8910956.
