Consumer demand and developments in food science and technology have led to a more widespread and varied use of food additives. As a result, we enjoy an affordable, high quality, and wholesome food supply.

The Egyptians used them. The Greeks too. And today we are still using them. Food additives, in the widest sense, are any substance added to food to enhance the safety, nutritional value, and/or appeal of the product.

Additives preserve, flavour, blend, thicken, and colour foods. They keep bread mould-free, stop salad dressings from separating, cure meats, and give margarine that warm yellow colour. Additives include baking powder in cake mixes and gelling agents in jams. They maintain product consistency and quality and reduce nutritional deficiencies. The consumer has come to rely on the many technological, aesthetic, and convenience benefits that additives provide in food.

Where do they come from?

Additives are derived from various sources. They come from vegetable origins, for example thickening agents extracted from seeds, fruit, and seaweeds, or acidulants such as tartaric acid from fruit. Or they are from nature-identical products made by synthesis or biosynthesis; this category includes antioxidants such as ascorbic acid in fruit and tocopherol in vege- table oils, and colours such as carotenoids found in many fruits and vegetables. Additives obtained by modifying natural substances are emulsifiers (derived from edible oils and organic acids) or thickening agents such as modified starches and modified cellulose. There are also man-made additives: antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), colours (for example, indigotin and quinoline yellow), and sweeteners such as saccharin.

Regulation

In the European Union, additives are regulated by the Additives Directives. The Scientific Committees advise on their safety. International organisations such as the Codex Alimentarius continuously evaluate the safety of additives.

Safety of additives

Additives are evaluated on different criteria - how they are absorbed by the body, their stability in different foods and beverages, and the quantities in which they can be safely consumed. Food additive regulations require that the product be appropriately labelled to provide information on an additive's purpose and its name. In the European Union, approved additives are identified by their E-number, which appears on the label. Dr. Juliane Beuld, staff scientist with the ILSI says, "there are no known risks from additives in general, with rare exceptions such as sulphites used, for example, in dried fruits and alcoholic beverages, which can cause allergies in some susceptible people." The vast majority of adverse reactions are not caused by additives, but by food itself.

FOOD TODAY 01/1998