Food Additives

Archive Report

Issue of Food Component Safety

Uses of Additives in Processed Foods

If we are what we eat, most of us are combinations of nature's bounty and laboratory-made chemicals. Many Americans ingest large quantities of food additives1 with their daily meals. Chemical additives come in many forms: stabilizers and emulsifiers that maintain consistency; preservatives that prevent spoilage; artificial flavors and colors that enhance taste and appearance; surfactants that bind ingredients together; anti-oxidants that prevent rancidity; and acidulants that modify tart tastes. Other chemical additives are used for a hardening, drying, coloring, leavening, non-caloric sweetening, creaming, firming, anti-sticking, whipping and sterilizing. In addition, many natural products, including salt, spices, sugar and sugar byproducts, are added to food during processing.

Several thousand additives have been approved for human consumption. But ...

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