We have to eat for
living and Food Preservatives are essential for preserving foods. we are
busy in our daily work and we have no
enough time to prepare our food. So, we have to depend on processed
/fast food. There are various kinds of food
Food additives/ Food Preservatives
that are added in our foods to make it tasty or for prolonging self
life, change colors and taste. Do you
know which Food Preservatives are used in your food? Do you know the Health effects
of these Food Preservatives . Most of
the non communicable like Diabetes , Heart Diaease, cancer are caused by these Food
Preservatives . Do you know its E-number of Food Preservatives and how you will know which Food
Preservatives are used in your foods?
Each Food Preservatives has a world
recognized E – number. Do you know which Food Preservatives are used in your Food.Food preparing/ processing companies used this E -numbers on its food packed . if
you want to know the E - number and its bad effect on our
health, keep continue reading .Food Additives :
Any substances added to the food affecting the
characteristics of natural food
•
Direct: Are
those which are intentionally added to food for specific purpose
Direct Food Additives
•
Food Preservatives
•
Food Flavors
•
Anti-caking Agent
•
Antifoaming agent
•
Food Colors
•
Bulking Agents
•
Thickners
•
Anti-oxidants
•
Sweetners
•
Stabilizers
•
Acidulants
•
Humectants
•
Emulsifiers
•
Caffeine
•
Tracer gas
•
Glazing agent
•
Indirect : Are those to which the food is
exposed to during processing, packaging and storing
Types of additives
Additives
may be: Natural – found
naturally, such as extracts from beetroot juice (E162), used as a colouring
agent;
Manmade versions – synthetic
identical copies of substances found naturally, such as benzoic acid (E210),
used as a Food Preservatives ;
Artificial – produced
synthetically and not found naturally, such as nisin (E234), used as a Food
Preservatives in some dairy products and in semolina &
tapioca puddings.
Direct/Intentional Vs Indirect/Unintentional Food
Additives
Direct/Intentional Additives
q Enrichment
– restore lost nutrients to food
q Fortification
– increase nutrition value of food
Indirect/Unintentional Additives
q Environmental
contamination (surface water runoff, industrial spills);
q Insecticides,
Fungicides, Herbicides;
q Plant
Growth Regulators/Hormones and Antibiotics;
q Detergents
used in washing Foods; and/of
q Detergents
& Sanitizers used in utensils:
q Equipment
are likely to carry over into foods.
Why not keep to natural additives?
- Some artificial colours have almost disappeared from foods as companies realised that many consumers prefer food products to contain natural colours.
- At present there is not the variety of natural Food Preservatives required to perform all the functions of additives necessary.
- Manmade Food Preservatives may prove more efficient at preserving, and some natural colours fade in some products.
Functions of
Additives
- Prolong Shelf life
- Change/preserve color
- Enhance Flavor
- Compensate for vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Maintain freshness/Nutrient quality
- Prevent/ Reduce Food spoiling
- Facilitate Food processing
- Lower food costs
Reduce occurrence of disease
Health Effects of Food Preservatives
• Immediate
Effects:
v Headache
v Change
in Energy Level
v Alterations
in Mental Concentration,
v Behavior or Immune response
• Long
Term Effects:
v Increase
Risk of Cancer
v Cardiovascular
disease and
v Other
degenerative conditions.
Improper Use
- To cover up faulty or inferior products
- To deceive consumers
- To produce effects that can not be otherwise be achieved Safely
Numbering of Additives
• Each
additive is assigned a unique number termed as “E numbers” which is used in
Europe for all approved additives (this system are also now been adopted &
extended by the Codex)
• Some
of Example
• E
100 - Curcumin, turmeric
• E
123 - Amaranth
• 999999E
140 - Chlorophylls, Chlorophyllin
• E
210 - Benzoic acid
• E
224 – Potassium metabisulphite
• E
300 – Ascorbic Acid
• E
330 – Citric acid
Food Preservatives
Food Preservatives
(Class –I)
 |
| Food Preservative Class 2 |
- Common salt
- Sugar: Sucrose, dextrose, glucose, honey
- Pungent Spices, Vinegar
- Edible vegetables oil
Food Preservatives
(Class – II)
- Benzoic –its salt (Benzoic acid, Sodium Benzoate
- Sulphurous acid+ its Salt
- Nitrates/Nitrites of Na/K
- Sorbic acid +its Na/K/Ca salts, & its esters
 |
| Food Preservative Class 2 |
- Lactic acid +its Na/K/Ca salts
- CH3/C3H7 esters of p-OH benzoic acid
- Acid Ca-phosphate, Niacin
- Potassium Metabisulphite ( K2S2O5)
- Propionic Acid
Food Preservatives To Avoid
Sodium Nitrate/Sodium Nitrite (E250 )
•
Causes :forms a variety of nitrosamine
(carcinogen) compounds in human
digestive system) Uses : Hotdogs, bacon, ham, luncheon meat, cured
meats, corned beef, smoked fish, processed meat
BHA and BHT (E320)
 |
| E320 |
•
Causes : neurological system of the brain; alters behavior, form
cancer-causing reactive compounds in human body.
•
Uses: Potato Chips, gum, cereal, frozen
sausages, enriched rice, candy, jello.
Sodium Sulphite (E221)
•
Causes : one in 100 people are sensitive to
sulphites, asthma, Headaches, Breathing problems and Rashes
•
Uses: Wine & Dried fruit
Artificial Sweeteners (E951):
/Aspartame, aka Nutra Sweet/Equal
•
Causes :Neurotoxin & carcinogen Brain
tumor, Diabetes, Dizziness,
headaches, nausea, etc
•
Uses :Diet coke, Jello, sugar free gum, Drink mixes, ice tea,
puddings, Cereal, breath mints, toothpaste, , cough syrup etc
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
•
Causes : increases your LDL “bad” cholesterol levels.
•
Uses: Processed breads, Candy, Flavoured
yougurts, Salad dressings, Canned vegetables, Cereals etc.
Propyl Galate
•
Causes : prevent fats and oils from spoiling
•
Uses : Edible oil
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG /
E621)
•
Causes : Depression, disorientation; Eye
damage, fatigue, Headaches and obesity etc.
•
Uses :Margarine, chips and crackers, baked
goods, fast foods , beef
Trans Fat/ Partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils
•
Causes : increase LDL cholesterol levels,
& Decreasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol, increases risk of heart attack,
diabetes & other health problem.
•
Uses :Margarine, chips and crackers, baked
goods, fast foods
Common Food Dyes (Blue #1 & Blue #2 ;Red #3 & Red #40 Yellow #6 & Yellow Tartrazine ( E133 E124;E110 E102 )
•
Causes: behavioral problems like ADD and ADHD
in children , reduction in IQ.) linked
to cancer/thyroid tumors);
•
Uses :Fruit cocktail, cherry pie mix, maraschino cherries, ice cream, candy, bakery
products, macaroni, cheese
Sulphur Dioxide E220
•
Causes : bronchial problems, asthma,
hypotension, Anaphylactic shock; Destroys Vita–B1 & E in the body
•
Uses :beers, soft drinks, dried fruit,
juices, cordials, wine, vinegar,
Potassium Bromate (E924)
•
Causes: cancer in animals. Even small amounts
in bread can create problems for humans
•
Uses : Bread and bread-rolls
Olestra/Olean
•
Causes : abdominal cramping, loose stools,
inhibits absorption vitamins & other nutrients
•
Uses : Chips
What should Do
Drink lots of safe water to flush out harmful toxins from your body and have some fresh tender vegetables and fruit juices to change the minerals that you already know by drinking plenty of water.Sleep S at least 8-9 hours every day to excercise your human body's immune system. Exercise to unwind your body and mind. Important too, the less TV you watch, the less you're going to be uncovered to food advertising, and the less processed food you will eat. And then, be mindful of what you eat. All this will not start from day one for every person but you can do most of these step by step and before long you are carrying out all to keep your body healthy and yourself out of hospital.
Drink lots of safe water to flush out harmful toxins from your body and have some fresh tender vegetables and fruit juices to change the minerals that you already know by drinking plenty of water.Sleep S at least 8-9 hours every day to excercise your human body's immune system. Exercise to unwind your body and mind. Important too, the less TV you watch, the less you're going to be uncovered to food advertising, and the less processed food you will eat. And then, be mindful of what you eat. All this will not start from day one for every person but you can do most of these step by step and before long you are carrying out all to keep your body healthy and yourself out of hospital.
