additives Flashcards
(25 cards)
what are food additives
They are natural or synthetic substances which are
added to foods to serve a particular purpose
what are antioxidants
. They prevent food from going rancid or changing colour by reducing fat oxidation. They do this by becoming electron donors.
what do colours do?
They enhance the colour of food, they replace natural colour lost during processing.
what do emulsifiers, stabilisers, gelling agents, and
Thickeners do?
They help mix together ingredients that separate (hydrophobic colloids) and increase the viscosity and thickness of substances.
What do preservatives do?
they increase the shelf life
When can a food additive be justified for use?
Must serve 1:
1. helps maintain nutritional quality.
2. maintains quality or stability, so it reduces the chance of food wastage
3. Enhances visual appearance without deceiving customers.
4. Provision of essential aids to processing.
when are food additives not allowed to be used?
- When faults in processing are disguised
- When the consumer is deceived.
- When it reduces nutritional value significantly
how are food regulations regulated in the uk?
. EU regulations, Regulation 1333/2008.
. The FSA
. Food additives are listed on ingredients as ‘E numbers in Europe
What E numbers are colours?
. listed as E100 numbers
. 100-180
What are the two types of sweeteners
. bulk- as sweet as sugar, used as much as sugar would be used.
. Intense - much sweeter in sugar and used in small amounts
give intense sweetener examples
. E950 acesulfame potassium
. E951 aspartame: (People who suffer from Phenylketonuria
(PKU) are unable to metabolise)
. E954 saccharin
. E957 thaumatin
. E959 neohesperidine dihydrochalcone (NHDC)
. E952 cyclamic acid
give bulk sweetner examples
. hydrogenated glucose syrup, Isomalt (E953) & Mannitol (E421)
. Sorbitol (E420): y
. Xylitol: used in sugar-free chewing gum
. Lactitol (E966)
How can emulsifiers be used?
. Help create a stable colloidal suspension between water and oil, like surfactants
. slows down rate of staling in baked goods
how can stabilisers be used
. They are used to improve the
Stability of emulsions
and prevent the
separation of their
components
what do gelling agents do
They are used to form a gel from hydrophilic colloids.
They are used in
bakery fillings, jams,
jellies, and sauces.
What do thickeners do?
thicken (increase viscosity)
of liquids without
substantially altering
other properties (like
taste). Are used in
sauces, soups,
puddings
give a gelling agent example
pectin and alginate
give thickener example
. pectin and alginate plus locust bean gum and tragacanthin
give examples of harmful food additives
sunset yellow FCF (E110)
quinoline yellow (E104)
carmoisine (E122)
Allura Red (E129)
Tartrazine (E102)
ponceau 4R (E124)
Food and drink containing any of these six colours must carry a
warning on the packaging. This will say ‘May have an adverse effect
on activity and attention in children’.
what can food preservatives be? two examples
. antioxidants
. preservatives (E200 numbers)
name traditional chemical food preservatives
. Salting: to cure dehydrated meats
. Vinegar: pickled foods
. Sugaring: condensed milk
. alcohol: fortified wines
what is fortification, give one example
. Fortification is when micronutrients are added to a food, which weren’t originally there.
1. Adding to margarine vitamin A and D (OBLIGATORY) to make its
vitamin content equivalent to that of summer butte
what is ‘enriching ‘, give one example
. to add back micronutrients lost in food
. dehydrated potatoes lose ascorbic acid (vitamin C) , it is added back as an antioxidant
what are the risks and benefits of adding nitrates to meat
. destroys bacteria and prevents food poisoning
. nitrosamines cause cancer in animals
