Home > Introduction to Food Additives

According to Food Protection Committee of the Food and Nutrition Board, food additives may be defined as below:

Definition: Food Additives

A substance or a mixture of substances, other than a basic foodstuff, which is present in a food as a result of any aspect of production, processing, storage, or packaging.

• Since prehistoric times, chemicals have been added to foods to perform special functions.
• Although basic foods contain no additives
• As foods are processed for conversion into a variety of products, an increasing number of additives are generally used.
• Technological advances in food processing have increased the variety and use of these additives.
• Today, more than 2500 different additives are intentionally added to foods to produce a desired effect.
• The use of these additives is a well accepted practice but is not without controversy.

Type of Additives:

Additives can be derived into six major categories:

1. Preservatives
2. Nutritional additives
3. Flavouring agents
4. Colouring agents
5. Texturizing agents
6. Miscellaneous additives

• Several lists of these additives are available
• Several additives commonly serve more than one function in foods
• In Europe and other parts of the world, the E system developed by European Union (formally the European Economic Community), provides a listing of several commonly used additives.
• The European Union adopted directives which set the criteria by which additives are assessed.
• The European Scientific Committee for Food oversees additives safety against the established criteria.
• Specific directives have been established for sweeteners, colours and other food additives
• The Codex committee on Food Additives and Contaminants has developed an International Numbering System (INS) for food additives based on the E-system.
• The INS system is broader than the E-system and is intended as an identification system for food additive approved for use in one or more countries.
• The INS numbers are largely the same numbers used in the E-system without the E.
• The INS system also includes a listing of the technical function for each additive based on 23 functional classes.
• The E-numbers are categorized as follows:

• E100 – E199 (Colours)
• E200 – E299 (Preservatives)
• E300 – E399 (Anti-oxidants, Acidity Regulators)
• E400 – E499 (Thickeners, Stabilizers, Emulsifiers)
• E500 – E599 (Acidity Regulators, Anti-Caking Agents)
• E600 – E699 (Flavour Enhancers)
• E900 – E999 (Surface Coating Agents, Gases, Sweeteners)
• E1000 – E1999 (Additional Chemicals)

Benefits of Additives:

There are clearly many recognized benefits to be derived from additives.

Some of the major benefits are:

• A safer and more nutritious food supply
• A grater choice of food products
• and a lower priced food supply

1. Safer and More Nutritious Foods 

• There is no question that the preservatives and nutritional additives used in foods increases the safety and overall value of many food products.
• The use of several antimicrobials is known to prevent food poisoning from various bacteria and moulds.
• Antioxidants used to prevent the development of off-flavours, also prevent the formation of potentially toxic autoxidation products and maintain the nutritional value of vitamins and lipids.
• The use of various nutritional additives such as vitamins also of proven value in preventing nutritional deficiencies.

1. Greater choice of Foods

• Most major supermarkets today carry more than 20,000 food items, providing the consumer a wide choice of food products
• The availability of additives has allowed the production of numerous out-of-season foods and a variety of new food products
• Additives have increased the development of:
• Convenience foods, snack foods, low-calorie and health promoting (functional) foods and exotic (foreign) foods.
• Additives allow these foods to be pre-prepared and still maintain acceptable flavour, texture and nutritional value.
• It is estimated that the shelf-life of cereal products can be increased over 200% by the use of anti-oxidants
• The snack food industry has continued to be successful because the use of coloring and flavouring additives make available a wide array of snack items.
• The greatest increase in food additives use in the next several years is likely to be in the functional food
• A functional food: can be defined as a food or beverage that imparts a physiological benefit that enhances overall health, helps prevent or treat a disease/condition, or improves physical or mental performance via an added functional ingredient, processing modification, or biotechnology.

Dangers of food additives and preservatives

• Although additives and preservatives are essentials for food storage, they can give rise to certain health problems.
• They can cause different allergies and conditions such as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder in some people who are sensitive to specific chemicals.
• The food containing additives can cause asthma, hay fever and certain reactions such as rashes, vomiting, headache, tight chest, hives and worsening of eczema.
• Toxicological problems resulting from the long-term consumption of additives are not well documented.

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• Guidance on Food Additives

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