Add incense. In the usual chocolate, a variety of spices are widely added, which has a unique flavor. Generally, there are several types of essential oil, essence and powder spice extract. There are countless varieties of each type, such as candy and chocolate, which can be divided into different varieties such as fruit flavor, nut flavor, frankincense, flower flavor and wine flavor according to the flavor type.
Add color. The color of confectionery products partly comes from the raw materials themselves and the special color formed in the production process. In addition, pigments are sometimes added to simulate the color of natural food, but they should be used in strict accordance with the regulations of the national health department. Generally, carmine, amaranth, lemon yellow and indigo are commonly used, and these pigments are synthetic pigments.
Humidify. Some soft sweets and crystal sugar are easy to lose water during storage, which leads to drying shrinkage and hardening, so adding some humidifiers can delay the qualitative change caused by water evaporation. Commonly used humidifiers are glycerol, sorbitol and maltitol.
Alkalization and bulking. When food is in a slightly acidic state, alkalizing agent is generally added for neutralization. The leavening agent used in some sweets and chocolate products can promote the sugar body to produce carbon dioxide and play a leavening role. Commonly used leavening agents include sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and compound leavening agents.
Acidification. A considerable number of candy and chocolate products use sour agents to adjust and improve the flavor effect, especially fruit-based products. Commonly used are: citric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and malic acid.
Thickening and stabilization. Thickener is widely used in cold drinks, and it is a kind of food additive to improve or stabilize the physical properties and tissue state of cold drinks. It is easy to combine with water, so it can improve the viscosity and hardness of cold drinks, prevent the generation of ice crystals, reduce the rough feeling, and make the appearance of food smooth and delicate.
Reinforcement. Additives used for the purpose of enhancing and supplementing the nutrition of food are called fortifiers. There are various vitamins, amino acids and inorganic salts belonging to this kind of additives. Commonly used are vitamin A, vitamin B 1, vitamin B2, vitamin P, vitamin C, vitamin D2, vitamin D3, lysine, gluconic acid, calcium lactate, protein of animals and plants and so on. In addition, drugs are added to some confectionery products, but they must meet the national food hygiene standards.
It can be seen that as long as we carefully understand the properties of food additives, carefully check the ingredients, usage and expiration date of food additives, and make full use of the functions of food additives, not only will it not harm our health, but it will also add more and more delicious and fresh foods for us and enrich our dining table.