There are thousands of ingredients during delicious foods processing. These ingredients have served useful functions in all kinds of foods for centuries. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenient, colorful and affordable. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3000 food ingredients in its data base “Everything Added to Food in the United States”, many of which we use at home every day. Most of these food additives and ingredients are chemicals or chemical compounds.
Why food ingredients are added during food processing?
1. To Maintain or Improve Food Freshness and Safety:
Food preservatives can slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. They can maintain food quality and control contamination that can cause foodborne illness. Food antioxidants, one group of preservatives, can prevent edible oils and fats from becoming rancid. They also can prevent cut fresh fruits from turning brown oxidized by air.
2. To Improve or Maintain Nutritional Value:
During many food processes, vitamins and minerals (and dietary fibre) are added to make up for food nutrition enhancement or lost in processing. Such enrichment has helped reduce malnutrition in the world. All food products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled.
3. Improve Taste, Texture and Appearance:
Natural and artificial flavors, sweeteners and spices are added to enhance the taste of food. Food colors can improve product appearance. During food processing, emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners can give foods the texture and consistency consumers expect. Leavening agents allow baked goods to rise during baking. Some food additives and ingredients can help control the product acidity and alkalinity, while other can help maintain the taste and appeal of foods with reduced fat content.
Food Ingredients List:
Food Preservatives
| Function | Prevent food spoilage from bacteria, molds, fungi, or yeast (antimicrobials); slow or prevent changes in color, flavor, or texture and delay rancidity (antioxidants); maintain freshness |
| Applications | Fruit sauces and jellies, beverages, baked goods, cured meats, oils and margarines, cereals, dressings, snack foods, fruits and vegetables |
| Ingredients | Ascorbic acid, citric acid, sodium benzoate, calcium propionate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, calcium sorbate, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, EDTA, tocopherols (Vitamin E) |
Sweeteners
| Function | Add sweetness with or without the extra calories |
| Applications | Beverages, baked goods, confections, table-top sugar, substitutes, many processed foods |
| Ingredients | Sucrose (sugar), glucose, fructose, sorbitol, mannitol, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K), neotame |
Food Coloring
| Function | Offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; correct natural variations in color; enhance colors that occur naturally; provide color to colorless and “fun” foods |
| Applications | Many processed foods, (candies, snack foods margarine, cheese, soft drinks, jams/jellies, gelatins, pudding and pie fillings) |
| Ingredients | FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2, annatto extract, beta-carotene, grape skin extract, cochineal extract or carmine, paprika oleoresin, caramel color, fruit and vegetable juices, saffron (Note: Exempt color additives are not required to be declared by name on labels but may be declared simply as colorings or color added) |
Flavors and Spices
| Function | Add specific flavors (natural and synthetic) |
| Applications | Pudding and pie fillings, gelatin dessert mixes, cake mixes, salad dressings, candies, soft drinks, ice cream, BBQ sauce |
| Ingredients | Natural flavoring, artificial flavor, and spices |
Flavor Enhancers
| Function | Enhance flavors already present in foods (without providing their own separate flavor) |
| Applications | Many processed foods |
| Ingredients | Monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate or inosinate |
Fat Replacers
| Function | Provide expected texture and a creamy “mouth-feel” in reduced-fat foods |
| Applications | Baked goods, dressings, frozen desserts, confections, cake and dessert mixes, dairy products |
| Ingredients | Olestra, cellulose gel, carrageenan, polydextrose, modified food starch, microparticulated egg white protein, guar gum, xanthan gum, whey protein concentrate |
Nutritional Supplements
| Function | Replace vitamins and minerals lost in processing (enrichment), add nutrients that may be lacking in the diet (fortification) |
| Applications | Flour, breads, cereals, rice, macaroni, margarine, salt, milk, fruit beverages, energy bars, instant breakfast drinks |
| Ingredients | Thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin (Vitamin B2), niacin, niacinamide, folate or folic acid, beta carotene, potassium iodide, iron or ferrous sulfate, alpha tocopherols, ascorbic acid, Vitamin D, amino acids (L-tryptophan, L-lysine, L-leucine, L-methionine) |
Food Emulsifiers
| Function | Allow smooth mixing of ingredients, prevent separation Keep emulsified products stable, reduce stickiness, control crystallization, keep ingredients dispersed, and to help products dissolve more easily |
| Applications | Salad dressings, peanut butter, chocolate, margarine, frozen desserts |
| Ingredients | Soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, egg yolks, polysorbates, sorbitan monostearate |
Food Thickeners and Stabilizers
| Function | Produce uniform texture, improve “mouth-feel” |
| Applications | Frozen desserts, dairy products, cakes, pudding and gelatin mixes, dressings, jams and jellies, sauces |
| Ingredients | Gelatin, pectin, guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, whey |
Acidity Regulators
| Function | Control acidity and alkalinity, prevent spoilage |
| Applications | Beverages, frozen desserts, chocolate, low acid canned foods, baking powder |
| Ingredients | Lactic acid, citric acid, ammonium hydroxide, sodium carbonate |
Food Bulking Agents
| Function | Promote rising of baked goods |
| Applications | Breads and other baked goods |
| Ingredients | Baking soda, monocalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate |
Anti Caking Agents
| Function | Keep powdered foods free-flowing, prevent moisture absorption |
| Applications | Salt, baking powder, confectioner’s sugar |
| Ingredients | Calcium silicate, iron ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide |
Humectants
| Function | Retain moisture |
| Applications | Shredded coconut, marshmallows, soft candies, confections |
| Ingredients | Glycerin, sorbitol |
Yeast Nutrients
| Function | Promote growth of yeast |
| Applications | Breads and other baked goods |
| Ingredients | Calcium sulfate, ammonium phosphate |
Dough Strengtheners and Conditioners
| Function | Produce more stable dough |
| Applications | Breads and other baked goods |
| Ingredients | Ammonium sulfate, azodicarbonamide, L-cysteine |
Firming Agents
| Function | Maintain crispness and firmness |
| Applications | Processed fruits and vegetables |
| Ingredients | Calcium chloride, calcium lactate |
Food Enzymes
| Function | Modify proteins, polysaccharides and fats |
| Applications | Cheese, dairy products, meat |
| Ingredients | Enzymes, lactase, papain, rennet, chymosin |
Gases
| Function | Serve as propellant, aerate, or create carbonation |
| Applications | Oil cooking spray, whipped cream, carbonated beverages |
| Ingredients | Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide |
