Nutrition and Food Chemistry

Food Additives

Food additives encompass materials introduced into food items with the aim of improving or safeguarding their safety, shelf life, taste, consistency, or visual appeal. Occasionally, a few supplementary elements have been historically employed for brief periods, such as employing vinegar for pickling, utilizing salt, as seen in the case of bacon, or employing techniques to preserve desserts or drinks that include sulfur dioxide. The utilization of food additives is deemed appropriate solely when a distinct technical necessity arises, ensuring they neither mislead consumers nor contravene this principle, and they primarily serve a well-defined technological function, which may encompass maintaining the nutritional value of the food or augmenting its overall stability.