Hello Hermann,
Food additives are used to improve the appearance and texture of
foods,or to slow down the deterioration of food and to stop the
production of dangerous bacterial and fungal toxins. Some additives
are added to foods to improve their nutritional value, such as
vitamins in breakfast cereals. Additives can be man-made or natural.
Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments Website
http://www.frame.org.uk/food_additives.htm
The Food Additives Guide describes the five main functions of food
additives:
1. “Maintain product consistency. Emulsifiers provide a consistent
texture and prevent products from separating. Stabilizers and
thickeners provide a uniform texture. Anticaking agents enable
substances to flow freely.”
2. “Improve or preserve the nutrient value. Fortification and
enrichment of foods has made it possible to improve the nutritional
status of population. For example, vitamins and minerals are added to
many foods including flour, cereal, margarine, and milk. This helps to
make up for vitamins or minerals that may be low or completely lacking
in an individual’s diet.”
3. “Maintain the wholesomeness and the palatability of foods.
Contamination from bacteria can allow food-borne illnesses to occur.
Preservatives reduce the spoilage that air, fungi, bacteria, or yeast
can cause. Preservatives such as antioxidants help baked goods
preserve their flavor by preventing the fats and oils from becoming
rancid. They also keep fresh fruits from turning brown when exposed to
air.”
4. “Control the acidity and alkalinity, and to provide leavening.
Specific additives assist in modification of the acidity or alkalinity
of foods to obtain a desired taste, color, or flavor. Leavening agents
that release acids when they are heated react with baking soda to help
biscuits, cakes, and other baked goods rise.”
5. “Provide color and enhance flavor. Certain colors improve the
appearance of foods. There are many spices and natural and synthetic
flavors that bring out the best in the flavor of food.”
Food additives are numbered between E100 – E1599. There are a few that
are unnumbered as well. The prefix letter E means that it has been
approved by the European Community.
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/additives.htm
The following links will bring you to a comprehensive listing of food
additives in numerical order. You’ll find the name of the food
additive, its origin, use, risks and prohibitions if any.
E100–199
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/100.htm
E200-299
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/200.htm
E300-399
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/300.htm
E400-499
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/400.htm
E500-599
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/500.htm
E600-699
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/600.htm
E900-1599
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/900.htm
Unnumbered
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/000.htm
Here are a few examples of what you will find in the above documents:
E100 Curcumin
Orange-yellow color; derived from the root of the curcuma (turmeric)
plant, but can be artificially produced; used in cheese, margarine,
baked sweets and fish fingers.
E102 Tartrazine
FD&C Yellow No.5; known to provoke asthma attacks (though the US FDA
do not recognize this) and urticaria (nettle rash) in children (the US
FDA estimates 1:10 000); also linked to thyroid tumors, chromosomal
damage, urticaria (hives) and hyperactivity; tartrazine sensitivity is
also linked to aspirin sensitivity; used to color drinks, sweets,jams,
cereals, snack foods, canned fish, packaged soups; banned in Norway
and Austria.
E104 Quinoline
Yellow FD&C Yellow No.10; used in lipsticks hair products, colognes;
also in a wide range of medications; cause dermatitis; banned in
Australia, USA and Norway.
E107 Yellow 7G
Yellow color; the HACSG² recommends to avoid it; people who suffer
Asthma may also show an allergic reaction to it; typical products are
soft drinks; banned in Australia and USA.
E110 Sunset Yellow FCF, Orange Yellow S
FD&C Yellow No.6; used in cereals, bakery, sweets, snack foods, ice
cream, drinks and canned fish; synthetic; also in many medications
including Berocca, Polaramine, Ventolin syrup; side effects are
urticaria (hives), rhinitis (runny nose), nasal congestion, allergies,
hyperactivity, kidney tumors, chromosomal damage, abdominal pain,
nausea and vomiting, indigestion, distaste for food; seen increased
incidence of tumors in animals; banned in Norway.
E122 Azorubine, Carmoisine
Red color; coal tar derivative; can produce bad reactions in
asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; typical products are
confectionery, marzipan, jelly crystals; banned in Sweden, USA,
Austria and Norway.
E123 Amaranth
FD&C Red No.2; derived from the small herbaceous plant of the same
name; used in cake mixes, fruit-flavored fillings, jelly crystals; can
provoke asthma, eczema and hyperactivity; it caused birth defects and
fetal deaths in some animal tests, possibly also cancer; banned in the
USA, Russia, Austria and Norway and other countries.
E124 Ponceau 4R, Cochineal Red A
FD&C Red No.4; synthetic coal tar and azo dye, carcinogen in animals,
can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to
aspirin;banned in USA & Norway.
In addition, the Food Additives Guide has a one page, printable brief
list for practical usage divided into the following categories:
Colors
Preservatives
Antioxidants, Acidity Regulators
Thickeners, Emulsifiers, Stabilizers
Anticaking Agents
Flavor Enhancers
Glazing Agents and Sweeteners
Food Additives Guide Website
http://www.foodag.com/en/brieflist.pdf
You must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to be able to
print or read the above publication.
Adobe Acrobat can be downloaded for free.
The Adobe Website
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/alternate.html#505
Another good resource for food additives is the Food Additive
Database.Searching by name or number results in the definition,
structural formula, description, functional uses, characteristics and
identification for each food additive.
Compendium of Food Additive Specifications
http://apps3.fao.org/jecfa/additive_specs/foodad-q.jsp
Search Criteria
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=es&q=What+do+food+additives+do+and+what+are+their+effects+on+humans
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=es&q=online+database+of+potentially+harmful+food+additives
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&hl=es&q=food+additives
I hope you find this helpful.
Best regards,
Bobbie7-ga |
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