Fortification and additives

• Key points of food modification and the use of additives


  Manufacturers sometimes add additives during food processing to extend the shelf life of foods or to improve or to change their flavour,taste or appearanc. Preservatives p,flavour intensifiers,stabilisers,emulsifiers and colourings are all examples of additives. There is concern that some additives may have negative impacts on healt,such as causing allergies or being linked to hyperactive behaviour in children.
• Additives


  Substances added to food to preserve flavour,enchances tats and appearance,or extend shelf life.
• What are the three differnt groups of additives?


  Artificsl - made complete fron chemicals

  Natural - obtained from food naturally (E.g beetroot juice)

  Nature identical - synthetic (made chemically to be the same as a natural product)
• preservative 


  to extend the shelf life. found in fruit juice,dried fruits and salad dressing
• flavour intensifier


  to improve the tatse of food by adding flavour and to restore flavours during processing. found in savoury snacks/savoury foods,vanilla yoghurts
• stabilisers and emulsifiers 


  to help foods mix together and prevent ingredients from separating out in the product when being stored to give foods a smooth and creamy texture to extend shelf life of baked goods. found in salad dressing,low fat spreads,baked goods
• colourings


  to make foods look attractive to boost the colour of foods already present to add colour to food lost during processin. found in fizzy drinks,strawberry yoghurts,canned peas.
• Advantages of using additives


  To give consumers a wide choice of foods

  To keep food safer for longer

  To improve a particular feature of food E.g a key flavour of a food product

  To restore original features of a food product E.g putting colour back into food to make it look normal

  To produce a product range E,g differnt flavoured crisps

  To proDuce the desired effect e.g a creamy or smooth mouthfeel when eating a product.
• Disadvantages of using additives

  Using additives to disguise lower quality ingredients

  They can cause some people yk have an allergy E,g skin rash

  They can cause hyperactivity