—Lancaster Farming. Saturday, May 10. 1975
38
Chemical Additives - Why They Are Included In Food
by Sally Bair
Farm Feature Writer
Are you reading more and more labels on the food* you
purchase and understanding them less?
Thanks to the advent of mandatory nutritional labeling
on food products, homemakers arc becoming much more
aware of the contents of the boxes and cans they purchase
in the supermarket. However, this new awareness may
lead to confusion as they read the strange-sounding
chemical names of substances known as food additives.
According to William Knightly, Development Associate,
ICI America, Inc., the lack of correct information about
these additives adds to consumers' fears about Just what
purpose they serve. He said there are those who like to
spread the belief that additives are Included for the
primary purpose of making food appear to be better than
it is, that is, to deceive the public. However, he said,
"Deceptive purposes are expressly forbidden by law, and
every chemical in food must have a functional effect."
So Just what are these additives and why are they used?
Knightly, speaking recently to the Pennsylvania Home
Economics Association’s annual meeting, said that many
additives are naturally occurring, but when added to food
must be labeled with their chemical names by law.
Therefore, Vitamin C, if added to a product, must be listed
and is often called ascorbic acid which may confuse an
uninformed consumer. He added further that many ad
ditives are used to keep a product in the condition that
most homemakers in this country have come to rely on.
Sometimes processing removes natural nutrients, and
they then must be added and labeled as an additive.
An additive, according to the definition of the National
Research Council, is “a substance or mixture of sub
stances other than a basic foodstuff, which is present in a
food as a result of any aspect of production, processing,
Country
Corner
"Say Cheese, Please!”
Despite the many food fads which are currently
sweeping the country, it seems as if Americans are
still eating a great percentage of the traditional
dairy foods such as cheese and butter. In fact the
United Dairy Industry Association recently an
nounced that the consumer demand for cheese and
butter will-mcrease in 1975
Last year Americans consumed IAVi pounds of
cheese per person which was a one percent in
crease over the previous year In fact the cheese
consumption in this country has soared over 75
percent since 1953
Why is cheese so popular 7 Some answers have
been formulated by the Dairy Industry Association
- here’s what they say
- The rising cost of meat has caused consumers
to use more cheese as an alternative source of
protein
I ?
* * *
- Cheese is frequently used as an ingredient, in
other recipes
- The popularity of exotic food using cheese has
also raised the consumption
- And of course last but certainly not least - the
popularity of pizza has stimulated the use of
several cheese types
Cheddar cheese still ranks top as the nation’s
favorite with Colby close behind in second place
American cheese used in many processed foods is
also a favorite
We’d like to hear from more of our readers in the
future - so if you have an idea or farm tip that you’d
like to share, please send it to Country Corner in
care of Lancaster Farming, Box 266, Lititz, PA
Have a nice week 1
with: Melissa Piper
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
/
storage or packaging."
According to Knightly, there are two kinds of additives
under that definition: intentional additives, those which
are added deliberately, and incidental additives, those
which are present in foods in trace quantities as a result of
some phase of production, processing, storage or
packaging. At this point, Knightly is careful to say, “Salt
and spices arc the oldest additives known to man."
Knightly noted that the use of additives is an outgrowth
of long established food handling practices. He said eggs
were the first emulsifiers, and explained that British
sailors were the first to find that the use of limes in their
daily diets prevented shifty - H&lce they became known
as "limeys." This Was probably the beginning of for
tification of diets with vitamins.
Where do these food additives come from? Some come
from natural sources. One such natural additive is an
natto, a naturally-occurring yellow dye.
Other additives are manufactured. But even many of
these are found naturally in food. Vitamins and minerals
added to improve nutritive value are found naturally in
foods, but are often manufactured because they are
cheaper and more available. They are also more con
centrated and freer of objectionable impurities.
The fact that these additives are called chemical ad
ditives may make them sound objectionable or unnatural,
but, actually, all additives, whether natural or man-made
are chemical, as is every substance in the world. But
because the names sound foreign to most consumers not
trained in chemicals, they are sometimes unduly
frightened at the prospect of all these names, Knightly
said.
As an example, the chemical breakdown of an apple
would show that it contains 33 identified alcohols, 23
identified aldehydes and ketones, 16 acids and 62 esters,
plus other substances. Thinking of it from that standpoint
doesn’t sound too appetizing, but we all know how
delicious a big juicy apple can be.
To help you understand why food additives are used,
listed below are some of the primary reasons they are
found in foods you buy.
1. To impart and maintain desired consistency.
Emulsifiers improve texture, homogeneity and quality,
and make it possible for salad dressings to remain on the
shelf in a desirable state. Stabilizers and thickeners give
smooth uniform texture and flavor and desired con
sistency. This keeps ice cream and chocolate milk in their
desired state. ITiese additives may be listed as lecithin,
Homestead
gum arabic and methyl cellulose, to name a few.
2. To improve nutritive value. Certain additives have
been used m products over the years to eliminate and
prevent certain diseases involving malnutrition. For
instance, iodized salt has eliminated simple goiter, while
Vitamm D m milk and infant foods has practically
eliminated rickets.
3. To enhance flavor - If additives such as clovers,
ginger and benzaldehyde were not used, we could never
have spice cake, gingerbread, sausage and flavored
gelatins.
4. To control acidity or alkalinity. The acidity or
alkalinity of a food often affects the flavor, texture and
cooking results. Potassium acid tartrate, tartaric acid,
sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and lactic acid are used in
such things as cakes, cookies, butter, process cheese,
chocolates and soft drinks.
5. To maintain appearance, palatability and
wholesomeness. - Food spoilage caused by mold, bacteria
and yeast is prevented or slowed by certain additives.
Antioxidants are used to keep fats from turning rancid
and certain fresh fruits from darkening when cut and
exposed to air during processing. Propionic acid, ascorbic
acid, and butylated hydroxyanisole are a few of these
additives and they are used in such foods as bread,
cheese, fruit juices, margarine, lard, potato chips and
others.
6. To give desired and characteristic color. Sometimes
it is necessary to correct objectional natural variations in
foods to increase acceptability and attractiveness. All
color additives were placed under one law in 1960; they
include such colors as annatto, carotene, cochineal,
chlorophyll and are found in bakery goods, jams and
jellies and soft drinks.
7. To mature and bleach. This is especially important in
flour milling and bread baking. Freshly-milled wheat
flour has a yellowish color and lacks good baking
qualities. Aging flour used to be the only way to make it
acceptable, Knightly said, but now it is possible to use
oxidizing agents to do the job of whitening and modifymg
the gluten. Chlorine dioxide, chlorine, potassium bomate
and iodate are used in wheat flour and certain cheeses.
8. There are a variety of other functions which ad
ditives serve. For example, humectants are used to retain
moisture in some foods and anticaking agents keep others
free-flowing. Curing agents are used to preserve certain
meats and firming agents may be used to improve the
texture of processed fruits and vegetables.
Many of the additives listed above have difficult names.
As Knightly put it, “Monosodium glutamate is horrendous
Notes
William Knightly, development associate, ICI
America, Inc, discusses the use of additives in food at
the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Home
Economics Association.
sounding,” but it is simply something that is naturally
occurring and is used to intensify flavors in certain food
products such as soup.
Knightly placed some of the blame on frightening
consumers on the communications media, which, in his
opinion, has publicized certain things out of'context.
“Many fallacies,” he said, “are disseminated by
nutritional quacks and individuals who have no creden
tials.” Cereals, he mentioned, are currently coming under
attack for being less than nutritious. However, he pointed
out, “Milk with cereal makes a very nutritious breakfast.
The problem of balancing diets is an old problem.”
Incidental additives include those which find their way
into food through pesticides, fertilizers and feed ad
judevants as well as packaging materials. He said that
cessation of the use of pesticides would result in “mass
starvation and a high cost of food.”
Knightly said the most important consideration in the
safety of food additives is in the “safe levels of use. Even
common table salt can be toxic if taken in large
amounts.” He said, “Additives must benefit the con
sumer.”
Knightly pointed out, in answer to a question, that the
amounts of additives given to test animals is massive in
comparison to what is considered normal intake for
humans. And, according to FDA regulations regarding
additive, the quantity may not exceed the amount
reasonably necessary to accomplish its intended function.
In fact, a margin of 100 to 1 is applied to the quantity of the
additive found to be harmless to test animals to minimize
any possible hazards to human consumers.
He also pointed out that if just one person raises serious
doubt about the safety of any additive, FDA immediately
pulls that product from the market, and then proceeds to
test it to see if the product is indeed harmful. Many people
remember when cyclamates were pulled from the market
because they were considered unsafe. After years of
research, they will soon be allowed back on the market.
Knightly took a look into the future and said, “The cost
Cheryl Reitz, assistant extension home economist in
Lebanon County, looks over one of the handouts with
William Knightly.
of food must rise dramatically in the future.” He said that
our method of feeding animals grain is a “very inefficient
and very expensive” way of producing food. He said, “A
lot of protein is used up in growing the animal.”
He also said that despite the current criticism of our
food supply, that it is overpriced and lackmg in nourish
ment, Americans still spend just 17 percent of their
disposable income on food. By comparison, Europeans
spend 40 percent, Russians, 60 percent; and Indians and
Africans, 90 percent.
If you have additional questions about additives you find
in your food supply contact the Food and Drug Ad
ministration, Washington, D.C.
You may not like the sound of some of the names you
read on the labels, but those additives are serving a
purpose and keeping the food in a state which helps you
fmd it acceptable.