3 Safe Ingredients For Food Additive Thickening |
Posted: January 22, 2018 |
What is a food additive? These are the chemicals that are used or added to food to either better their color, flavor, consistency or appearance. Mostly, food additives are used as preservatives during manufacturing or processing. This definition excludes all other substances like air, yeast, water, spices, salt, herbs, protein and hops. Some people are mostly confused whether minerals and vitamins are categorized as food additives. In some countries like Australia minerals and vitamins are classified as additives, but they are isolated and regulated differently from the other types of additives. All food additives are mostly extracted from natural sources like plants etc. For example, ascorbic acid and vitamin C are derived from a category of fruits. Other forms of food additives are synthesized in the laboratories. Those that are manufactured in this specific method don’t mostly exist naturally. The use of these additives is mostly regulated. Any food additive that is used in packaging food should be explicitly declared on the label by use of either their numbers or chemical names. Before an additive is declared safe to use, regulatory authorities first ensure that the additive is well used, and the customer promptly informed about it inform of labels. What to look for: As a consumer, you should ensure that you check the ingredients and additives used on the food label before you purchase the product. The reason behind this caution is some food additives may cause an adverse reaction in some individuals. The food regulatory authorities may not be aware of which additive an individual doesn’t use, so it’s upon you to go through stuck on the product before you purchase a commodity. Individuals who are sensitive to some additives show signs of allergies like swellings and rashes on the skin, itchy bowel and at times experience headaches. There exists a variety of ingredients that are added in most of the foods that we consume. Among the long list of safe ingredients that are attached to food is carrageenan. It’s considered the simplest ingredient that can be added to food to increase its shelf life by preventing spoilage. It’s added to food as a stabilizer to ensure that the food remains delicious even after an extended period. Mostly, it’s used in making of ice cream and yogurt cream. In other cases, it can also serve as an alternative for gelatin. The following are other food ingredients are safe to use as food additives for thickening: Emulsifiers These are safe food ingredients that are added as an additive to allow a mixture of other several components in food. An excellent example of an emulsifier is milk. Emulsifiers are oily; they use phospholipids and proteins to emulsify food products based on their natural substances. Emulsifiers ensure the product is more stable, decrease stickiness, disperses the ingredients and also regulate crystallization. Emulsifiers are mostly used in ice creams, chocolate, salad dressings, frozen desserts and peanut butter. Preservatives These are the components that are added to food to prevent its spoilage, maintain the natural appearance of the food and also increase the shelf life of the food. There are natural food preservatives like salt, vinegar, sugar, alcohol among others. Also, there are artificial or chemical food preservatives like nitrites, sorbates, benzoates, and sulfites. Preservatives prevent organisms like bacteria, yeast, molds, and fungi from proliferating. They are mostly used in beverages, cereals, baked products, fruit sauces, cured meats, vegetables, margarine, and dressings. Color additives This is any pigment or dye substance that whenever it is added in food, cosmetic or drug or mixed with other elements, it is capable of conveying a specific color. Most food products lose their primary color due to long periods of exposure to light, extreme temperatures that is either too hot or too cold, exposure to air, the storage and moisture conditions among others. Color additives are added in many of the processed foods like margarine, candies, snack foods, gelatins, pie fillings, jellies and soft drinks.
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