China's food additives have 23 categories, more than 2,000 varieties, including acidity regulators, anticaking agents, antifoam agents, antioxidants, bleaching agents, bulking agents, coloring agents, color protectors, enzymes, flavor enhancers, nutritional enhancers, preservatives, sweeteners, thickeners, spices and so on.

1, antioxidants

The mechanism of antioxidants is more complex, there are a variety of possibilities. If there are antioxidants is due to its own very easy to be oxidized, the first reaction with oxygen, thus protecting the food. TBHQ: tertiary butylhydroquinone, BHA: butyl hydroxyanisole, etc..

2, bleach

These substances are able to produce sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur dioxide meets water to form sulfurous acid (H2SO3). In addition to the bleaching effect, but also has a preservative effect. In addition, due to the strong reducing sulfurous acid, can consume the oxygen in the organization of fruits and vegetables, inhibit the activity of oxidative enzymes, can prevent the oxidative destruction of vitamin C in fruits and vegetables.

3, coloring agents

Also known as pigments, is to make food coloring to improve its sensory properties of a class of substances. Food coloring according to its nature and source, can be divided into edible natural pigments and edible synthetic pigments two categories.

4, color protection agent

Color protection agent is also known as coloring agent. In the processing of food, in order to improve or protect the color of food, in addition to the use of pigments directly on the food coloring, and sometimes need to add the right amount of color protection agent, so that the products present a good color.

5, enzyme preparations

Enzyme preparations refers to the biological (including animals, plants, microorganisms) extracted from the biological catalytic ability of the enzyme characteristics of the substance. Mainly used to accelerate food processing and improve the quality of food products.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Food Additives