Why use food additives?

With the development of modern industry, food additives have become an unavoidable part of daily life. Many consumers don't understand why good food requires additional additives? What are the functions of food additives?

1. Prevent food spoilage and extend shelf life

Some canned foods we bought in the supermarket have added preservatives to prevent microorganisms from causing spoilage and spoilage, which can prolong their lifespan on the shelves. The leftover fruit residue from canned fruits produced by food factories can be recycled and processed to prevent waste, and then added with antioxidants and other additives, resulting in the birth of a bottle of fruit juice. Without these food additives, the storage life of food will be shortened, many raw materials will be wasted, transportation costs will greatly increase, and raw material prices will also double. The consequence of this is that ordinary people cannot afford to buy food, and food from processing factories cannot be transported to various parts of the country, ultimately leading to food and clothing problems for many people.

2. Improve the sensory properties of food

In addition to the function of preservation and preservation, people also use food additives to pursue the taste of food, resulting in ice cream and jelly. Skimmed milk and light cream, due to the addition of emulsifiers, have become smooth and delicate ice creams. Without emulsifiers, they will produce frost and feel granular when eaten. Due to the addition of thickening agent carrageenan and colorant, the juice forms jelly in gel state, showing a variety of colors, which is popular with children. Of course, this is not necessary if you are a consumer who does not pursue taste and sensory enjoyment.

3. Beneficial for food processing

Bread cannot be made without food additives. The use of leavening agents in baking bread allows it to expand and make it soft and delicious to eat. For example, in the process of producing tofu, using gluconate lactone as a coagulant is conducive to mechanization and automation of production, and the hygiene conditions are greatly improved compared to traditional manual processing of tofu. This is much safer than using brine to order tofu. In a sense, food additives have led to the great development of modern food technology.

4. Meeting the nutritional needs of special populations

Even more miraculously, food additives can provide necessary nutritional ingredients for special populations. For diabetics who cannot eat sucrose, food sweeteners can be used appropriately to act as corresponding sugar to supplement the elements needed by the body.

So, not only does the modern food industry rely on food additives for the comprehensive utilization of raw materials, but modern people also do not resist food additives in pursuit of convenience and taste.