What’s in my noodles?!
The Codex Alimentarius was set up in 1963 by the United
Nations to codify what’s allowed in common food
products, like noodles.
So what does the Codex say is allowed in my
prepackaged noodles?
Acidity Regulators
Acidity regulators are added
to food change or maintain pH
level (acidity or basicity). They
can be organic or mineral acids,
bases, neutralizing agents,
or buffering agents. They're
shown by their E-number (like
E260 acetic acid), or described
as "food acid".
• Acetic acid, glacial
• Sodium acetate
• Lactic acid (L-, D-, and DL-)
• Malic acid (DL-)
• Calcium lactate
• Citric acid
• Trisodium citrate
• Tartaric acid (L(+)-)
• Sodium malate
• Sodium fumarates
• Sodium carbonate
• Sodium hydrogen carbonate
• Potassium carbonate
• Calcium sulphate
• Calcium oxide
Antioxidants
Anti-oxidants are added to food
to help prevent deterioration.
Food begins to deteriorate
by oxidation, when it gets
exposed to oxygen and sun.
Anti-oxidants help prevent
that oxidation.
• Ascorbic acid (L-)
• Ascorbyl palmitate
• Ascorbyl stearate
• Mixed tocopherols
concentrate
• Alpha-tocopherol
• Propyl gallate
• Tertiary butylhydroquinone
(TBHQ)
• Butylated hydroxyanisole
(BHA)
• Butylated hydroxytoluene
(BHT)
Colours
Food colouring is any substance
added to food or drink to
change its colour.
• Curcumin
• Riboflavin
• Riboflavin
5'-phosphate, sodium
• Tartrazine
• Sunset yellow FCF
• Carmines
• Chlorophyll copper complex
• Chlorophyllin copper
complex, sodium and
potassium salts
• Fast green FCF
• Caramel I-plain
• Caramel II-caustic
sulphite process
• Caramel III-ammonia process
• Caramel IV-ammonia
sulphite process
• Beta carotene (synthetic)
• Carotenes, Vegetable
• Beta-carotene
(Blakeslea trispora)
• Beta-apo-carotenal
• Beta-apo-8'-carotenic acid,
methyl or ethyl ester
• Beet red
Stabilizers and thickeners
Stabilizers and thickeners give
foods a firmer texture.
• Calcium carbonate
• Agar
• Beta-cyclodextrin
• Alginic acid
• Sodium Alginate
• Carob Bean Gum
• Carrageenan and its
Na, K, NH4 salts (includes
furcellaran)
• Processed Eucheuma Seaweed
• Guar gum
• Gum Arabic (acacia gum)
• Karaya Gum
• Tara Gum
• Gellan Gum
• Curdlan
• Pectins
• Sodium carboxymethyl
cellulose
• Potassium chloride
• Acid treated starch
• Alkaline treated starch
• Bleached starch
• Oxdized Starch
• Starches, enzyme-treated
• Monostarch phosphate
• Distarch phosphate
esterified with sodium
trimetaphosphate;
esterified with
phosphorous oxychloride
• Phosphated distarch
phosphate
• Acetylated distarch
phosphate
• Starch acetate
• Acetylated distarch adipate
• Hydroxypropyl starch
• Hydroxypropyl distarch
phosphate
• Starch sodium
octenyl succinate
• Acetylated oxidized starch
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers keep water and oils
mixed together, rather than
separating.
• Lecthin
• Propylene glycol alginate
• Polyoxyethylene (8)stearate
• Polyoxyethylene
(40 stearate
• Polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan
monolaurate
• Polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan
monooleate
• Polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan
monopalmitate
• Polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan
monostearate
• Polyoxyethylene (20)sorbitan
tristearate
• Mono and di-glycerides of
fatty acids
• Diacetyltartaric and fatty
acid esters of glycerol
• Sucrose esters of
fatty acids
• Polyglycerol esters of
fatty acids
• Polyglycerol esters
of interesterified
ricinoleic acids
• Propylene glycol esters of
fatty acids
• Sodium stearoyl lactylate
• Calcium stearoyl lactylate
• Sorbitan monostearate
• Sorbitan tristearate
• Sorbitan monolaurate
• Sorbitan monopalmitate
Humectants
Humectants stop food from
drying out.
• Sodium lactate
• Monosodium orthophosphate
• Disodium orthophosphate
• Trisodium orthophosphate
• Monopotassium
orthophosphate
• Dipotassium orthophosphate
• Tripotassium orthophosphate
• Tricalcium orthophosphate
• Disodium diphosphate
• Tetrasodium diphosphate
• Tetrapotassium diphosphate
• Dicalcium diphosphate
• Pentasodium triphosphate
• Sodium polyphosphate
• Potassium polyphosphate
• Calcium polyphosphates
• Ammonium polyphosphates
• Sorbitol and sorbitol syrop
• Propylene glycol
Preservatives
Preservatives stop fungi,
bacteria, and microorganisms
from spoiling food.
• Sorbic acid
• Sodium sorbate
• Potassium sorbate
• Calcium sorbate
Flavour Enhancers
Flavour enhancers are added to
commercially produced food to
make it taste more savoury.
• Glutamic acid (L(+)-)
• Monosodium glutamate, L-
• Disodium 5’-inosinate,
• Disodium 5’-guanylate
• Disodium 5’-ribonucleotides
FLOUR
Anticaking Agent Flour Treatment Agents
Anticaking agents like Flour treatment agents are
polydimethylsiloxane stop added to flour to make it
powders from ‘caking’ or appear whiter (freshly milled
sticking together. flour is yellowish), to help
develop gluten, and to help
flour to bake.
• Sulpher dioxide
• Sodium sulphite
• Sodium hydrogen sulphite
• Sodium metabisulphite
• Potassium metabisulphite
• Potassium sulphite
• Calcium hydrogen sulphite
• Potassium bisulphite
• Sodium thiosulphate
52-infographics.blogspot.com
Data from the Codex Alimentarius and Wikipedia
Design by Gareth Parry
Week #20 20101128