Food Additives Overview

1
Food Additives - Overview

• Regulations
• Reasons for additives
• Classes of additives
• Functions of additives
• Interactions of additives and effect on food
  characteristics

2
Regulations

• Food and Drug Act
• Food Additives Defined
• Food Supplements Defined
• GRAS and Grand Father Clause
• Self Affimed GRAS
• Delaney Clause
• Labeling

3
Why Additives

• Formulated Foods
• gt5000 foods in the Grocery Stores that combine
  multiple components to give desired
  characteristics to the product
• Each component is there for a specific purpose
• Least cost functionality
• Synergistic effects

4
The Purpose of Additives

• Taste
• Aroma
• Eye Appeal - color
• Texture
• Reduce fat
• Reduce sugar
• Reduce calories
• Enhance health

• Interact with other components to enhance desired
  characteristic(s)
• Extend Shelf-life
• Anti-microbial agents
• Anti-oxidants
• Control pH (gt4.6)
• Control Aw (lt-.85)

5
The components of a formulated food will
generally have a combination of different
structures

• Solutions water, sugars,salts
• Colloids proteins, gums, starch
• Gels- formed from proteins, gums and
• starches or combinations
• Foams can be combination of proteins, proteins
  lipids, etc.
• Emulsions lipids emulsifiers

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Classes of Additives

• Proteins
• Fat
• Starches
• Gums
• Surface Active emulsifiers
• Leavening agents
• Acidulants
• Phosphates

• Antimicrobial
• Antioxidants
• Sequestrants
• Color
• Flavors/ flavor enhancers
• Nutritive Additives
• Polyols

7
Why Cant We Always Tell the Exact Function of an
Additve?

• Additives do have defined functions in foods
• However, they also have hidden functions
  because of interactions to provide a different
  characteristic than provided by each component
  alone
• Often we can not predict the final food
  characteristics based on simple functionality
  alone Surface response methodology

8
Interactions
Cabohydrates (Starch/gums)
Proteins
Fat
Surfactants
Modified by pH and minerals
Modified by order of additon (Who sees who first)
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Take Home Message

• The use of food additives is regulated
• Foods additives are there for a purpose
• There are many different classes of additives
  with different functions
• Interactions between additives are often
  important in the final characteristics of the food