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Common Food Additives

What Are Food Additives?

Food additives are substances that are added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste or improve appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries, such as vinegar curing and salting to preserve food (e.g., bacon) and sulfur dioxide to preserve wine. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the twentieth century, more and more additives, both natural and synthetic, are being used in foods. If you want to know more about china food additives, you can consult food additive manufacturer Xi'an Bosen Bio-Tech.

Common Food Additives

1. Anti-caking agents are additives applied to powdered or granular materials (such as salt or candy) to prevent the formation of clumps and to reduce packaging, transportation, flow and consumption. Some anti-caking agents function by absorbing excess water or coating particles and making them hydrophobic. For example, calcium silicate (CaSiO3) is a common anti-caking agent that has been added to, for example, table salt to absorb water and oil.

2. Antioxidants as food additives can help fight food spoilage. Exposure of food to air and sunlight are two important factors that lead to oxidation of food. Oxygen is also very important for plant respiration, and storing plant foods in an anaerobic environment produces unpleasant odors and unsightly colors, so fresh fruits and vegetables are generally stored in an environment containing 8% oxygen. Preservatives with antioxidant effects include natural vitamin C and vitamins and synthetic propyl gallate, TBHQ, BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole.

3. Artificial sweeteners are used to increase the sweetness of food. For example: glucose, oligosaccharides, fructose, maltose. Artificial sweeteners are mainly: aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, potassium vinblastine, glycyrrhizin, acesulfame. Natural sweeteners (from taking plants), the common ones are stevia, licorice sweetener, etc. Conversion sweeteners (semi-natural), such as sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, etc.

4. Edible acids maintain the correct acid level and are acidity regulators (pH adjusters). Edible acids are added to make flavors "fresher" and also act as preservatives and antioxidants. Common table acids include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, folic acid, acetic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid.

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