Help maintain a constant acid level in food. Important for taste, as well as to influence how other substances in the food function; e.g an acidic food can retard the growth of some micro-organisms
Reduce the tendency of individual food particles to stick together, and improve flowing characteristics; e.g seasoning with an anti-caking agent flows freely and doesn't clump together
Retard or prevent the oxidative deterioration of foods: e.g in fats and oils, rancid flavours can develop when they are exposed to oxygen. Antioxidants prevent this from happening
