The use of additives in food processing

Food additives play a vital role in today’s bountiful and nutritious food supply. They allow our growing urban population to enjoy a variety of safe, wholesome, tasty foods year round.

Food additives can be used to:
*Improve the taste or appearance of processed food.

*To improve or maintain nutritional value.

*Improve the keeping quality or stability of a food. It is done by adding vitamins and minerals to common foods such as milk, flour, cereal and margarine.

*Enhance flavor or impart desired color.

*Preserve food when this is the most practical way of extending its storage life. It will keep the food appetizing and wholesome. Food addictives retard product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast.

*To maintain product consistency. Emulsifiers give products such as peanut butter a consistent texture and prevent them from separating. Stabilizers and thickeners give ice cream a smooth, uniform texture.

Use of food additive whether an intentional or incidental one should not be permitted until its safety under conation of the proposed use has been established beyond reasonable doubt as judged by competent experts.
The use of additives in food processing