The main functions of food additives

Food additives have greatly promoted the development of the food industry and are hailed as the soul of modern food industry. This is mainly because they bring many benefits to the food industry. Their main functions are roughly as follows:

Prevent deterioration

For instance, preservatives can prevent food from spoiling and deteriorating caused by microorganisms, extend the shelf life of food, and also have the effect of preventing food poisoning caused by microbial contamination. For instance, antioxidants can prevent or delay the oxidation and deterioration of food, thereby providing the stability and storability of food. At the same time, they can also prevent the formation of potentially harmful auto-oxidizing substances in oils. In addition, it can also be used to prevent enzymatic and non-enzymatic Browning of food, especially fruits and vegetables. All of these are of certain significance for the preservation of food.

Improve the senses

Improve the sensory properties of food

The appropriate use of food additives such as colorants, color protectants, bleaching agents, edible flavors, emulsifiers and thickeners can significantly improve the sensory quality of food and meet people's diverse needs.

Maintain nutrition

Maintain and enhance nutritional value

When processing food, appropriately adding certain food nutrient fortifiers that fall within the range of natural nutrients can significantly enhance the nutritional value of food. This is of great significance for preventing malnutrition and nutrient deficiency, promoting nutritional balance, and improving people's health levels.

Convenient supply

Increase varieties and convenience

There are already over 20,000 kinds of food available on the market for consumers to choose from. Although the production of most of these foods is handled through certain packaging and different processing methods, in the production process, many products that are rich in color, aroma and taste are mostly added with coloring, flavoring, seasoning and other food additives to varying degrees. It is precisely these numerous foods, especially the supply of convenience foods, that have brought great convenience to people's lives and work.

Convenient for processing

Convenience food processing

The use of defoamers, filter AIDS, stabilizers and coagulants, etc. in food processing can be beneficial to the processing operations of food. For instance, when gluconate δ -lactone is used as a coagulant for tofu, it can facilitate the mechanization and automation of tofu production.

Other

Other special needs

Food should meet people's different needs as much as possible. For instance, if diabetic patients cannot consume sugar, sugar-free foods can be made with non-nutritive sweeteners or low-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose or methyl aspartate phenylalanine for supply.