Food additives preserve the freshness and appeal of food between the
times it is manufactured and when it finally reaches the market.
Additives may also improve nutritional value of foods and improve their
taste, texture, consistency or color.
Color, odor, taste and consistency or texture, which are important for
the sensory value of food, may decreases during processing and storage.
Such decreases can be corrected or readjusted by additives such as
pigment aroma compounds or flavor enhancers.
When the food is to be stored for a prolonged period, use of additives
and preservatives is essential in order to maintain its quality and
flavor. Development of “off flavor” for instance, derived from fat or
oil oxidation, can be suppressed by antioxidants. Food texture can be
stabilized by adding minerals or polysaccharides, and by many other
means.
A flavour additive is a single chemical or blend of chemicals of natural
or synthetic origin that
provides all or part of the flavour impact of a particular food. These
chemicals are added in order to replace flavour lost in processing and
to develop new products. Flavourings are the largest group of food
additives, with more than 1,200 compounds available for commercial use.
Some artificial colors are also added to the foods to give them an
appealing look. These coloring substances are erythrosine (red),
cantaxanthin (orange), amaranth (Azoic red), tartrazine (Azoic yellow)
and annatto bixine (yellow orange). Colorants are often necessary to
produce a uniform product from raw materials that vary in colour
intensity. Colorants used as food additives are classified as natural or
synthetic.
Additives and preservatives maintain the quality and consistency of the
foods. They also maintain palatability and wholesomeness of the food,
improve or maintain its nutritional value, control appropriate pH,
provide leavening and color, and enhance its flavor.
Food additives effect on food sensory value