Food Additives

 thickening, solubilization, improving property, chelating
property of metal ions, and improving organization
Several  additives, coloring materials, vitamins,structure and taste of food. .These play an important
inorganic salts, antibiotics and plant fibers are added torole in improving and enhancing the quality of food, and
foods and beverages in order to enhance the taste,they are almost one of the natural ingredients in all
palatability, texture and shelf life of these.food. They have been widely used as food additives in
 However, in many cases, these additives arefood processing industry
regarded as safe compounds, though their adverseTo flour and other cereal derived food stuffs bamboo
reactions seem to be very rare in the generalleaf extracts contain flavonoids, active polysaccharide,
population (0.01-0.23%) but higher in atopic individualsspecial amino acid, aromatic components and trace
(2-7%).  Probably because of the difficulty inelements  were added and showed promising
diagnosis, most of the available information is based onfeatures as food additives in the fields of natural
case reports or small series.  Reported reactions arefunctional, medical and healthy food, and agricultural
mostly mild and may affect the skin, theengineering due to its unique properties such as rich
gastrointestinal tract, or the airways, and rarelyresource as anti-oxidants and shelf-lengthening effects.
anaphylaxis.Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligomers that are
 As an example, for preserving meat sausageswidely used in the food industry as food additives, for
maintained at 36 hours in refrigeration, astabilization of flavors, for elimination of undesired
color-protecting agent is added, composed mainly oftastes or other undesired compounds such as
carnosine, tea polyphenol, citric acid, phytic acid,cholesterol and to avoid microbiological contaminations
rosemary and L-cysteine.  The colorizing agent isand browning reactions
composed of monascus red, carmine and bixin A biologically active food supplement with
The discoloration due to oxidation of myoglobins,toxicity-minimizing properties (e.g., against mycotoxins)
involves heating meat materials in the presence of (a)is based on powdered watermelon (6-7% moisture
?1 inorganic compounds containing gas-generatingcontent) expected to include pectin, protopectin,
compounds and metal ion-releasing compoundsvitamins C and E, and selenium
generating compounds and metal ion-releasingNatural plant-derived extracts such as Rosa laevigata
compounds and (b) ?1 natural polysaccharides.  Thus,extracts are used for treating or improving immunity
minced lean pork was mixed with natural salt,abnormality, body peroxidn and inflammation factor
NaHCO3, carrageenan, xanthan gum, trehalose, Naincrease caused by Propionibacterium
glutamate, and ice-cold water, cured at 20° for 24 h,acnes-lipopolysaccharide, and treating hepatitis or liver
chopped, further mixed with lard, egg white powder,damage, improving immunity abnormality, body
and spices.peroxidn and inflammations.
 Inorganic salts such as of  potassium and sodium A soy beverage- or okara-based biologically  active
as  nitrites (E 249 and E 250) and nitrate (E 251 andadditive for bakery products also contains whey
E 252) are authorized for use under certain levels inproteins and meat hydrolyzate as a source of
several foodstuffs such as non-heat-treated, curedessential amino acids, eggshell calcium, bovine Hb as a
and dried meat products, other cured meat products,source of heme iron, iodinated whey proteins as a
canned meat products and bacon. The key point in thesource of covalently bound organic iodine, and dietary
use of nitrate and nitrite as preservatives is to find afiber.
balance between ensuring the micro-biological safety Other supplements such as vitamins (K, C and D),
of the ham and keeping as low as possible the level ofpeptides e.g. antibacterial peptide with Magainin,
nitrosamines in the final product.  Nitrites and nitratesCecropin P and LL-37, as antibacterial agent fatty
are authorized by FDA (food and drug administration)phospholipids, carbohydrates (e.g. tihalose) are also
as additives for dry-cured ham.added to several food stuffs with the view of
Phosphates as food additives have effects on waterincreasing their quality, durabilityand healthy
retention, moisture retention, bonding, plasticization,consumption.