1. What is a food additive?
Food additives refer to substances added to food in order to improve the quality of food, increase the color, aroma, taste and shape of food, maintain the nutritional value of food, increase food safety and extend the shelf life of food. Food additives are widely used in food processing, such as preservatives, pigments, sweeteners, thickeners and so on.
Second, the role of food additives
1. Improve food quality: Food additives can improve the color, aroma, taste and shape of food, make food more delicious and increase people's preference for food.
2. Maintain the nutritional value of food: Food additives can protect the nutritional components in food and prevent losses during processing.
3. Increase food safety: Food additives can inhibit the growth of bacteria and microorganisms and reduce pathogenic bacteria in food, thus improving food safety.
4. Extend the shelf life of food: Food additives can inhibit the oxidation reaction of food, delay the deterioration speed of food, and thus extend the shelf life of food.
Third, common food additives
1. preservatives: preservatives are substances used to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in food, such as sulfate and nitrite. Preservatives can prolong the shelf life of food and keep the freshness of food.
2. Pigment: Pigment is a substance used to change the color of food, including natural pigment and synthetic pigment. Pigment can make food more attractive and increase appetite.
3. Sweetener: Sweetener is a substance used to increase the sweetness of food, such as saccharin and aspartame. Sweeteners can replace sugar and reduce the calories of food, which is suitable for diabetics and people who lose weight.
4. Thickener: Thickener is a substance used to increase the viscosity of food, such as gelatin and pectin. Thickeners can improve the taste of food and increase the texture of food.
Fourth, the safety of food additives
The safety of food additives has always been the focus of attention. Although food additives play an important role in food processing, if they are used improperly or exceed the safety standards, they may cause certain harm to human health. Therefore, it is very important to strictly control the dosage and standards of food additives.
According to the national food safety standards, food additives must undergo strict examination and approval and testing before they are allowed to be used. In the process of use, the amount of food additives must meet the prescribed safety standards and cannot exceed the prescribed maximum allowable amount.
In addition, the safety of food additives is also related to personal physique and intake. For some people, they may be allergic or sensitive to certain food additives. Therefore, when choosing food, we should pay attention to check the food label, understand the ingredients of food additives, and avoid taking too many food additives.
Five, how to reduce the intake of food additives
Although food additives play an important role in food processing, excessive intake of food additives is harmful to health. Therefore, we can reduce the intake of food additives through the following aspects.
1. Choose natural foods: Natural foods often don't need to add too many food additives, so choosing natural foods can reduce the intake of food additives.
2. Homemade food: Homemade food can control the amount of food additives, choose healthy ingredients and reduce dependence on food additives.
3. Eat more fresh food: Fresh food often does not need to add too many food additives, so eating more fresh food can reduce the intake of food additives.