【 Random Talk on Health 】 Common Food Additives

Have you always liked to look at the food ingredient list when shopping at the supermarket?

Judging whether it is healthy based on the amount of additives?

But are many specialized terms appearing inside confusing you?

The first step to maintaining a healthy diet

Starting from understanding food additives

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food additives

Food additives refer to artificially synthesized or natural substances added to food to improve its quality, color, aroma, and taste, as well as to meet the needs of preservation, preservation, and processing technology.

The GB 2760-2014 Standard for the Use of Food Additives specifies the principles for the use of food additives, the types of food additives allowed to be used, the scope of use, and the maximum amount of use or residue.

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What are the common food additives?

At present, there are over 2400 types of food additives approved for use in China, which are divided into 23 categories according to their functions. The familiar ones include preservatives, antioxidants, colorants (pigments), water retention agents, and so on.

preservative

Sorbic acid and potassium sorbate, benzoic acid and sodium benzoate, etc

Food preservatives can ensure the freshness of food and extend its shelf life. They are a type of food additive aimed at maintaining the original quality and nutritional value of food. There are 25 types of preservatives specified for use, including benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, calcium propionate, etc.

Sorbic acid and its salts have strong antibacterial properties and low toxicity. They are an unsaturated fatty acid that can participate in normal metabolism in the human body and be converted to produce carbon dioxide and water. They are internationally recognized as low toxicity, safe, and efficient food preservatives.

Benzoic acid is an aromatic acid compound. When a small amount of benzoic acid enters the human body, it can combine with aminoacetic acid to produce hippuric acid, and can also combine with glucuronic acid in the human body to produce glucoside, which is excreted in urine. Benzoic acid, as a food preservative, has low toxicity and is relatively stable in the air with low cost, making it widely used in China.

antioxidant

Phenolic substances, sulfites and sulfites, etc

Foods with high oil content are prone to air oxidation during storage, causing rancidity, spoilage, and discoloration, thereby reducing the sensory quality and nutritional value of the food, and even producing harmful substances that can cause food poisoning. Antioxidants can effectively prevent or delay the oxidation process of the food and protect the nutritional components.

Phenolic substances

Among the antioxidants, BHA (butylhydroxyanisole), BHT (dibutylhydroxytoluene), PG (propyl gallate), TBHQ (tert butylhydroquinone), and tocopherol are five widely used lipid soluble antioxidants internationally. Among them, the first four are synthetic antioxidants, and tocopherol, also known as vitamin E, is a natural antioxidant. They can be used alone or in combination with acidic synergists such as citric acid and ascorbic acid, resulting in more significant antioxidant effects.

BHA and BHT have good antioxidant properties, but their safety has been questioned. Many countries have imposed strict restrictions on the amount of synthetic antioxidants added, and the FAO WHO Food Standards Code clearly stipulates the amount of synthetic antioxidants added.

TBHQ is currently the only chemically synthesized antioxidant that has good efficacy and is relatively safe (normal use within the applicable range is absolutely safe).

Sulfite, sulfite

Sulfite and sulfite antioxidants are commonly used in dried fruit foods. In fact, what really works in sulfite is its effective SO2. Sulfite is a food preservative that can cause allergies and other health problems. Unlike other additives, which only have a single function, it has both bleaching and anti-corrosion effects. Healthy individuals who are sensitive to these substances can be careful to avoid foods containing such ingredients.

Water retention agent

Phosphates

Water retention agents refer to food additives added to food that help maintain water stability.

Phosphates are a type of food additive with multiple functions, widely used in food processing. When placed in meat products, they can maintain the water holding capacity of meat, retain soluble proteins in meat, thereby increasing the softness of meat. They can also prevent beverages from becoming cloudy, bulky, and improve the functional properties of dough products, as well as improve the functional properties of soy protein and starch.

Phosphorus is an important element in the body, usually involved in energy transmission, human tissues (such as teeth, bones, and some enzymes), and nutritional metabolism in the form of phosphate radicals. Therefore, phosphate is often used as a nutritional enhancer in food.

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Support rational use and oppose overuse and overuse

An appropriate amount of food additives can ensure the taste, color, and aroma of food, and can also eliminate harmful substances generated during the food manufacturing process. As long as the additives comply with national food safety standards and are used in compliance, they will not cause food safety issues. What we need to oppose is excessive dosage and abuse beyond the scope.

From the perspective of consumers, food additives in commercially available products should all comply with national standards, and it is also understood that discussing toxicity without considering dosage is unscientific. However, the food industry is also plagued by numerous unscrupulous enterprises, making it difficult to prevent them. Therefore, consumers should pay attention to identifying food brands, paying attention to the food label ingredient list, understanding food additives, and scientifically selecting food when purchasing food is also a fun thing.

——Surging news