The Benefits of Food Additives: Enhancing Quality, Safety, and Convenience

Food additives refer to artificial or natural substances added to food to improve the quality, color, aroma and taste of food, as well as to meet the needs of preservation and processing technology. They play an important role in the modern food industry and can significantly improve the quality and safety of food. There are many benefits of food additives. They can not only improve the flavor, color and taste of food, but also extend the shelf life of food and ensure the stability of food during transportation and storage. In addition, the use of food additives makes the food processing and manufacturing process more reasonable, hygienic and convenient, which is conducive to the mechanization, automation and large-scale development of the food industry.

Types of Food Additives

Food additives can be divided into natural food additives and synthetic food additives according to their sources. Classified by function, they mainly include nutritional enhancers, antiseptic and antifungal agents, antioxidant preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, chelating agents (including stabilizers and coagulants), quality improvers, flavoring agents, color treatment agents, Food flavors, spices, etc. Food preservatives are a type of additive used to inhibit food spoilage and deterioration and extend the storage and freshness period. Commonly used food preservatives include benzoic acid and its salts, sorbic acid and its salts, propionic acid and its salts, parabens, etc. Natural preservatives such as natamycin, glucose oxidase, protamine, etc. have also received widespread attention in recent years because they are safe, non-toxic and have certain nutritional value.

General Requirements and Safe Use of Food Additives

With the development of food toxicology, food additives that were originally thought to be harmless have been found to have chronic toxicity and teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic hazards in recent years. Therefore, countries have paid full attention to this. . At present, both international and domestic governments adopt strict management, strengthen evaluation and restrict the use of food additives. In order to ensure the safety of food additives, food additives should follow the following principles: First, safety evaluation. The primary criterion for evaluating the toxicity (or safety) of food additives is the ADI value (human daily intake), followed by the LD50 value. (50% lethal dose). In addition, usage regulations such as GB2760-2014 National Food Safety Standard and Food Additive Usage Standards clarify the usage principles of food additives, the types of food additives allowed to be used, the scope of use, and the maximum usage or residue amount.

Benefits of Food Additives

Food additives play a vital role in the modern food industry. Benefits of food additives are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

• As one of the benefits of food additives, inhibiting the growth of microorganisms and preventing food spoilage and deterioration can be the primary. Thereby extending the shelf life of food. This not only helps food stay fresh in different environments and seasons, but also prevents food poisoning caused by microbial contamination. In addition, antioxidants can delay or inhibit the oxidation of food and improve the stability and storage durability of food.

• Benefits of food additives-improving the color, aroma and taste of food: Food additives can significantly improve the color, aroma and taste of food and meet consumers' needs for diversified and high-quality food. For example, sweeteners can not only increase the sweetness of food, but also extend the shelf life; flavor enhancers can improve the freshness and taste of food by adding amino acids and other ingredients.

• Benefits of food additives- improving nutritional value: Some food additives have nutritional enhancement functions, which can supplement the nutrients in food or reduce the calories of food. For example, xylitol, as a sweetener, is suitable for people with diabetes because it increases sweetness without adding calories. The addition of nutritional fortifiers such as vitamins and minerals can help improve people's nutritional intake, which is especially important for special groups such as infants and the elderly.

• Benefits of food additives- easy to carry and eat: Food additives make food easier to store and transport, extend the shelf life of food, and make it easier for consumers to carry and eat. This not only increases food sales, but also brings significant economic benefits to the food industry.

• Benefits of food additives- promoting food processing and production: Food additives such as thickeners, stabilizers and coagulants can improve the physical properties of food, make the food processing process more convenient and efficient, and are conducive to the mechanization and automation of food production.

Food additives are of irreplaceable importance in the modern food industry. By understanding their definitions, functions, types and safe use requirements in detail, we can better select and use food additives to ensure food quality and safety. Whether in the production, processing or storage of food, the rational use of food additives can significantly improve the quality and safety of food and provide consumers with better food products.