Food additives refer to artificial or natural substances added to food for the purpose of improving food quality, color, aroma and taste, as well as for the needs of preservative, fresh-keeping and processing technology. According to the national standard, all food additives used in food must be indicated in the list of ingredients, usually labeled as "Food additives:" or "food additives ()", where the content after the colon or inside the parentheses is food additives. They are not ranked in any particular order because ingredients that are not more than 2 percent of the ingredients in the additive can be listed in non-descending order, and food additives are usually used in less than 2 percent.

Common food additives are as follows: the appropriate sales want to measure once, prison adsorption hospital Nirvana eye long Li

1. antiseptic

Before the advent of preservatives, people mainly preserved food by sugaring, salting and drying. The emergence of preservatives has solved the problem of preservation and long-distance transportation of certain foods, which not only greatly avoids food waste, but also enables people to enjoy food from other countries and regions. The main preservatives are: formic acid and its sodium salts, propionic acid and its sodium and calcium salts, sulfur dioxide, sodium metabisulfite or potassium, sodium sulfite, sodium sorbate, potassium, carbon dioxide, etc.

2. Antioxidants

Antioxidants prevent food spoilage caused by oxidation and are often used in foods that require long-term storage or a long consumption cycle. Food is oxidized, not only color, aroma, taste and other aspects of adverse changes, but also may produce toxic and harmful substances. Antioxidants can effectively prolong the shelf life of food. For example, vitamin E, vitamin C, phytic acid, and tea polyphenols are common antioxidants.

3. sweetener

Sweeteners are metabolized to produce little or no energy and have little effect on blood sugar. Many low-calorie or no-calorie foods and drinks will use sweeteners, such as aspartame, Anzai honey, neotame, to replace sugar with sweeteners, can ensure the taste of food and drinks at the same time, effectively reduce the sugar content.

4. colorant

Colorant also known as food coloring, the main purpose is to give and improve the color of food. Food coloring has a long history and is widely used in food production and processing. Common pigments include monascus red, turmeric, as well as B-carotene, caramel color, lemon yellow, sunset yellow, sorghum red, etc.

5. Thickener

Thickener can improve the consistency of food or form a gel, giving food a variety of shapes and soft, hard, sticky and other different tastes, the principle is the same as starch thicken. Thickeners are commonly used in yogurt, jellies, sauces, ice cream, fruit juices, meat products and other foods and beverages. Common thickening agents are pectin, carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, dextrin, sodium alginate and so on.

It should be noted that for food additives, some products will claim to "not contain" a certain additive, need to pay attention to identification and judgment.

For example, some products claim to be "preservative-free", which does not mean that the product is free of other food additives, such as antioxidants, colorants, etc. In addition, some foods with a long shelf life do not need to add preservatives. For example, canned food and milk at room temperature are sterilized and sealed during production, so no additional preservatives are needed. For example, foods with high levels of salt and sugar, such as honey, cured meat, or dry foods such as noodles, have very low water content and bacteria cannot grow, so there is no need to add additional preservatives.

Of course, even if it contains preservatives, it is not impossible to buy home. As long as it is a regular manufacturer of qualified products, all food additives must be allowed to add within the scope, that is to say, in enough safety fan domestic, do not have to talk about preservatives and "color change".

For example, some products claim to contain "no artificial colors" or "no artificial antioxidants." This does not mean that the product has no added colors or antioxidants, but that the added substances are derived from natural raw materials, not synthetic ones. Natural raw materials can be extracted in the kind of carrot ト extract, monascus pigment, natural pigments such as cochineal, sodium copper chlorophyll, vitamin E, vitamin C, phytic acid, tea polyphenols, natural antioxidants. The addition of natural additives does not mean that the food is more "natural" or "safe". For example, a pure fruit and vegetable juice is not as nutritious as a pure fruit and vegetable drink, even though the latter has better color and taste.

In addition, it is worth noting that some food additives have multiple names such as chemical names and common names. Therefore, the product will replace multiple names of food additives, so it is necessary to pay attention to identification and judgment.

For example, some products claim to be "MSG free," but the ingredient list includes sodium glutamate, or chicken essence in combination (sometimes also containing sodium glutamate or other freshening agents).

For example, some products claim to contain "vitamin C", which needs to be distinguished from the concept of "vitamin C rich" in fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C in processed foods is often added as an antioxidant and may have been degraded and oxidized during product storage to prevent product oxidation; Fruits and vegetables in addition to "rich in vitamin C" also contain a lot of minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients.

In a word, when buying food, be careful not to be confused by some advertisements like "distracting". Understand the net content and specifications, quickly judge food cost performance.

Source: Fan Zhihong Practical family nutrition