when we go to the supermarket to buy food, we will see all kinds of food, and many of them are very delicious and attractive in color. These attractive foods are indispensable to food additives. Many people are very sensitive to the words with food additives. They think that food with food additives is not very safe, and they are still not at ease when eating it. Will eating too much be bad for their health?

1. Food safety with additives

1. Don't be nervous at the sight of "adding"

What is a food additive? The Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that synthetic or natural substances are added to food to improve the quality, color, smell and taste of food, and to meet the needs of preservation, preservation and processing technology.

in other words, if a substance is to be recognized as a "food additive", it must be strictly examined by the relevant national institutions, and only when its functionality and safety are recognized and approved will it be recognized as a food additive.

At present, many people are nervous when they see the word "additive" printed on food packaging, largely because they confuse the concepts of "food additive" and "illegal additive".

As the "culprits" of food safety accidents, such as Sudan red, melamine and plasticizer, which we often hear in the news, they are actually "illegal additives" and are not allowed to be used in food processing and production at all, which is totally irrelevant to food additives. In fact, there have been no food safety accidents caused by the rational use of food additives. Don't let the "good citizen" of food additives take the blame just because both of them have the word "add".

2. There is a national standard for "dosage"

The concept of food additives has been clarified, and there is another thing that deserves our attention, that is, the dosage of food additives.

In China, the National Standard for Food Safety-Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB276) has clear and strict regulations on the use of food additives, including the scope of use (which foods can be used in production and processing), function and dosage standard (the maximum dosage in different foods) of each food additive.

these standards have to undergo a very strict safety assessment to ensure that everyone is absolutely safe under normal eating conditions.

Take food coloring as an example. Its official name is "food coloring agent". As a kind of common food additive, its function is mainly to improve the color of food, which can visually improve people's appetite.

Common food pigments include β-carotene, sunset yellow, lemon yellow, brilliant blue and caramel color, which are widely used in the production and processing of various foods. Taking sunset yellow as an example, it is allowed to be used in the production and processing of more than 3 kinds of foods, including jam, chocolate products and carbonated drinks.

At the same time, among these different foods, the maximum dosage of sunset yellow also has different regulations and requirements. For example, in jam, the maximum dosage of sunset yellow is .5 g/kg; The maximum dosage in chocolate and chocolate products is .3 g/kg; In nut products and carbonated drinks, the maximum dosage of sunset yellow is .1 g/kg.

with the above detailed and strict "safety criteria", businesses can clearly understand and reasonably use the pigments or other food additives they need. As long as the products are purchased from regular channels and produced by regular manufacturers and meet the national quality standards, they can be safely eaten, and there is no need to worry or worry too much about food additives.

In fact, modern food production and processing are inseparable from the use of food additives. If there are no food additives, we will not only be unable to taste the special food thousands of miles away, but also lose many taste choices. Marking "this product does not contain any additives" in food packaging or publicity is actually an unfair means of commercial competition, misleading consumers to buy their products.

Therefore, consumers should treat food additives more rationally and scientifically, and they can also learn and master some related knowledge on weekdays, so that they can discard the false and keep the true in the face of all kinds of rumors, choose and eat related products scientifically, and thus enjoy food and life better.

2. Various additives

Preservatives: mainly chemically synthesized sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. The limit standard of preservatives in China is very strict. For example, the limit of sodium benzoate in China is 2mg, which is lower than the ADI value stipulated by the international standards, calculated by an adult drinking one liter of beverage every day. Therefore, the rational use of preservatives will not cause harm to the human body, but can prevent food corruption from causing greater harm to the human body.

Pigments: The edible pigments currently used in China can be divided into two categories: edible natural pigments and edible synthetic pigments. Natural pigments are extracted and refined from edible parts of plants, microorganisms and animals by physical methods, which are safe and some of them have nutritional value. Synthetic pigments are extracted and synthesized from coal tar by chemical methods, which not only have no nutritional value, but also are harmful to human body. Therefore, it is better to choose drinks colored with natural pigments as far as possible.

Sweeteners: Sweeteners can be divided into natural sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners according to their sources. The former mainly includes various sugars and sugar alcohols, such as glucose, fructose and maltitol. The latter includes saccharin sodium, sodium cyclamate, acesulfame K, sodium cyclamate and so on. The safety of synthetic sweeteners has been proved by many studies at home and abroad. As long as the manufacturers strictly follow the national standards and label the food correctly, it will not do harm to consumers' health. But if it is used in excess, it will endanger human health.

souring agent: souring agent is widely used in beverages, which can adjust and improve the flavor effect. Commonly used citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid and so on. As long as it is eaten in moderation, it is harmless.

thickener: thickener mainly comes from useful ingredients fermented by animals, plants or microorganisms, which is relatively safe. However, it should be noted that in addition to avoiding fake and inferior products to make thickeners from industrial raw materials, some thickeners are dextrin and modified starch produced by starch hydrolysis, and such thickeners have high sugar content, which will lead to increased blood sugar.