Types of food additives

There are many common foods in life, and different foods have very different tastes. Therefore, when we buy them, we can choose according to our own preferences. There are also many ways to make food, but some ready-made foods also add a lot of food additives during production, which improves all aspects of the food. What kinds of food additives are there?

What types of food additives are there? There are quite a lot of them. When using them, you must understand them well so that they will not harm the human body after use. You should also pay attention to this issue when buying some food.

Types of food additives:

Food additives: refers to chemical synthetic or natural substances added to food to improve food quality and color, aroma, taste, as well as for preservation and processing needs. In my country, "nutritional fortifiers" are also food additives. Nutritional fortifiers refer to "natural or artificially synthesized food additives that fall within the range of natural nutrients and are added to food to enhance nutritional content."

Antioxidants

1. Mechanism of action of antioxidants

The mechanism of action of antioxidants is relatively complex, and there are many possibilities. For example, some antioxidants are easily oxidized and react with oxygen first, thus protecting the food. Such as VE. Some antioxidants can release hydrogen ions to decompose and destroy the peroxides produced by oils during the auto-oxidation process, preventing them from forming aldehyde or ketone products such as dilauryl thiodipropionate. Some antioxidants may combine with the peroxides they produce to form hydroperoxides, which interrupt the oxidation process of fats and oils, thereby organizing the oxidation process and forming antioxidant free radicals themselves. However, antioxidant free radicals can form stable dimers or react with peroxide free radicals (ROO). Combine to form a stable compound. Such as BHA, BHT, TBHQ, PG, tea polyphenols, etc.

2. Several commonly used fat-soluble antioxidants

(1) BHA: Butylated hydroxyanisole. Because it retains its effect well after heating and is effective in preserving food, it is one of the most widely used antioxidants in the world and is also one of the most commonly used antioxidants in my country. It has a synergistic effect with other antioxidants, and its antioxidant effect is more significant when used with enhancers such as citric acid. BHA is generally considered to be of low toxicity and relatively safe.

(2) BHT: Butylated hydroxytoluene. Compared with other antioxidants, it has higher stability, better heat resistance, little effect at normal cooking temperatures, and good antioxidant effect. It is very effective for long-term storage of foods and baked goods. It is a cheap antioxidant that is widely used internationally, especially in aquatic product processing. It is usually used together with BHA, and citric acid or other organic acids are used as synergists. Compared with BHA, it is slightly more toxic.

(3) PG: Propyl gallate. Relatively stable to heat. The antioxidant effect of PG on lard is stronger than that of BHA and BHT. Low toxicity.

(4) TBHQ: tert-butylhydroquinone. It is a newer class of phenolic antioxidants with better antioxidant effects.

Bleach

This type of substance can produce sulfur dioxide, which forms sulfurous acid when it comes into contact with water. In addition to its bleaching effect, it also has an antiseptic effect. In addition, due to the strong reducing property of sulfurous acid, it can consume oxygen in fruit and vegetable tissues, inhibit the activity of oxidase, and prevent the oxidative destruction of vitamin C in fruits and vegetables.

Sulfite can be metabolized into sulfate in the human body and excreted from the urine through the detoxification process. Compounds such as sulfites are not suitable for use in animal foods because they may produce an unpleasant odor. Sulfites can destroy vitamin B1, so foods with high B1 content such as meat, grains, dairy products and nuts are not suitable. Its use is strictly restricted in the United States and other countries because it can cause allergic reactions.

Colorants

Also known as pigments, they are a class of substances that color food and improve its sensory properties. Edible pigments can be divided into two categories according to their properties and sources: edible natural pigments and edible synthetic pigments.

1. Edible synthetic pigments are artificial synthetic pigments. The characteristics of edible synthetic pigments are: bright colors, stable properties, strong tinting power, high fastness, and can obtain any color. In addition, they are low cost and easy to use. But most synthetic pigments are harmful to the human body. The toxicity of synthetic pigments is that some of their chemical properties are directly toxic to the human body; some may produce harmful substances during metabolism; and some may be contaminated by arsenic, lead or other harmful compounds during the production process.

The synthetic pigments currently allowed for use in my country include amaranth, carmine, scarlet (cherry red), new red, allura red, lemon yellow, sunset yellow, brilliant blue, indigo and their respective aluminum lakes. and synthetic beta-carotene, sodium copper chlorophyllin, and titanium dioxide.

2. Edible natural pigments. Natural pigments are mainly extracted from animal and plant tissues. The composition of natural pigments is relatively complex. The effects of purified natural pigments may be different from the original ones. Moreover, its chemical structure may change during the refining process; in addition, it may be contaminated during the processing, so it cannot be assumed that natural pigments are necessarily pure and harmless.

Color Protectant

Color protection agent is also called coloring agent. In the process of food processing, in order to improve or protect the color of food, in addition to using pigments to directly color the food, sometimes it is necessary to add an appropriate amount of coloring agent to make the product present a good color.

1. The coloring principle and other functions of colorants: ① Coloring effect. In order to make meat products bright red, nitrates (sodium or potassium) or nitrites are added during the processing. Nitrate is reduced to nitrite by bacterial nitrate reductase. Nitrite will generate nitrous acid under acidic conditions. At room temperature, it can also decompose to produce nitroso (NO). The nitroso generated at this time will quickly react with myoglobin to produce stable, bright, bright red nitrosated myoglobin. Therefore, the meat can maintain a stable freshness. ② Antibacterial effect: Nitrite in meat products has a certain effect on inhibiting the proliferation of microorganisms.

2. Application of colorants

Nitrite is one of the substances with stronger acute toxicity among additives. It is a highly toxic drug that can convert normal hemoglobin into methemoglobin, which loses the ability to carry oxygen and causes tissue hypoxia. Secondly, nitrite is the precursor of nitroso compounds, and its carcinogenicity has attracted international attention. Therefore, all parties require that the addition of nitrate and nitrite be limited to the lowest level while ensuring color development.

Ascorbic acid has a high affinity for nitrite and can prevent nitrosation in the body, thereby almost completely inhibiting the formation of nitroso compounds. Therefore, adding an appropriate amount of ascorbic acid when marinating meat may prevent the formation of carcinogens.

Although the use of nitrates and nitrites has been greatly restricted, they are still used both at home and abroad. The reason is that nitrite has a special effect on maintaining the color, aroma and taste of pickled meat products, and no ideal substitute has been found so far. The more important reason is the inhibitory effect of nitrite on Clostridium botulinum. However, there are strict requirements on the food used, its usage amount and its residue.

Enzyme preparations

Enzyme preparations refer to substances with biocatalytic enzyme properties extracted from organisms (including animals, plants, and microorganisms). Mainly used to accelerate food processing and improve food product quality.

The enzyme preparations allowed for use in my country include: papain - extracted from the latex of immature papaya; and proteases produced by Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis, etc.; α-amylase - mostly from Bacillus subtilis; saccharifying amylase - the strains used to produce this enzyme preparation in my country include Aspergillus niger, root enzyme, Monascus enzyme, and pseudo-endosporin; pectinase produced by Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Aspergillus flavus, etc.

preservative

It refers to substances that can inhibit the reproduction of microorganisms in food, prevent food from spoiling and extend the shelf life of food. Preservatives are generally divided into acid-type preservatives, ester-type preservatives and biological preservatives.

1. Acid-type preservatives: Commonly used ones are benzoic acid, sorbic acid and propionic acid (and their salts). The antibacterial effect of this type of preservative mainly depends on their undissociated acid molecules, and their effectiveness depends on the pH. The greater the acidity, the better the effect, and it is almost ineffective in an alkaline environment.

1. Benzoic acid and its sodium salt: Benzoic acid is also known as benzoic acid. Due to its low solubility in water, its sodium salt is often used. Low cost. After benzoic acid enters the body, most of it combines with glycine to form hippuric acid and is excreted from the urine within 9 to 15 hours, and the remaining part combines with glucuronic acid to be detoxified.

2. Sorbic acid and its salts: also known as sorbic acid. Due to its limited solubility in water, its potassium salt is often used. Sorbic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid that can participate in the body's normal metabolic process and be assimilated to produce carbon dioxide and water. Therefore, sorbic acid can be regarded as a food ingredient. According to current information, it can be considered harmless to the human body.

3. Propionic acid and its salts: The antibacterial effect is weak and the usage amount is high. It is often used in bread and pastries and is relatively cheap.

Propionic acid and its salts have low toxicity and can be considered as normal components of food and normal intermediate products of metabolism in the human body.

4. Dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt: It is a broad-spectrum preservative, especially with strong antibacterial ability against molds and yeasts, which is 2 to 10 times that of sodium benzoate. This product can be quickly absorbed by the human body and distributed in the blood and many tissues. However, it has the effect of inhibiting multiple oxidases in the body, and its safety is questionable, so it has been gradually replaced by sorbic acid, and its ADI value has not yet been determined.

Through the above introduction, we have a good understanding of the types of food additives, so we can rest assured when choosing. However, it should be noted that these food additives are also found in many people’s food, so for some on-site food choices, it is best to eat them in moderation, which is beneficial to the healthy development of the body.