 Have been used by mankind for centuries.

 Our ancestors used

1) salt to preserve meats and fish;
2) added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods;
3) preserved fruit with sugar &
4) pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution.
 Egyptians = used food colourings & spices for flavouring.
 Romans = used saltpetre (KNO3) for preservation.

 Def : a natural or synthetic substance

which is added to food to
(a) prevent spoilage
(b) improve its appearance, taste or texture.
 Antioxidants
Preservatives Flavouring
Types of
Food Additives

Stabilisers Thickeners Dyes / Colouring

 Def : substances added to food to slow down /
prevent the growth of microorganisms.
Food can be kept for longer periods of time.

Preservative Example Function

1) Salt Salted fish  Salt & sugar draws the
water out of the cells of
microorganisms &retards
the growth of
microorganisms.

2) Sugar Jam
 Preservative Example Function
3) Vinegar, Pickled mango Vinegar provides an acidic
CH3COOH condition that inhibits the
growth of
microorganisms.

4) Sodium Burger, ham, These preservatives slow

nitrite,NaNO2/ sausage & down the growth of
Sodium
nitrate, NaNO3 luncheon meat microorganisms.
 Preservative Example Function
5) Benzoic Oyster sauce, These preservatives slow
acid, tomato sauce, down the growth of
C6H5COOH/
Sodium chili sauce & microorganisms in acidic
benzoate, fruit juice foods.
C6H5COONa

6) Sulphur Fruit juice &

dioxide, SO2 wine
1) Sodium nitrite/ Sodium nitrate
 added to meats to preserve & to stabilise the red
colour in meats. (without nitrite, hot dogs and bacon would
look gray & gives a characteristic flavor)
 Can cause stomach cancer.
 During cooking, the nitrites produce nitrosamines,
which are carcinogenic.

2) Salt
 Increase the risk of high blood pressure,
heart attack & stroke.

3) Sugar
 Can cause obesity, tooth decay & diabetes.

4) Sulphur dioxide
 May cause asthma & allergies in certain people.

5) Benzoic acid asthma & hyperactivity.

Def : substances added to food to
(a) prevent oxidation that causes rancid fats and brown
fruits or
(b) slows down deterioration of food caused by oxygen
from the air.
Food containing fats & oils can turn rancid (oxidised to
unpleasant –smelling acids on exposure to the air).
All foodstuffs are vulnerable to oxidation.
Example :citric and ascorbic acids in lemon juice can prevent
the browning of cut apple / potatoes.
 Antioxidant Example Function
1) Butylated Margarine To retard rancidity in oils.
hydroxyanisole
(BHA) &
Butylated
hydroxytoluene
(BHT)

2) Alpha Vegetable oils

tocopherol
(Vitamin E)
 Antioxidant Example Function
3) Ascorbic Fruit juice To preserve the colour of
acid fruit juice.
(Vitamin C)

4) Sodium Cooked cured  To stop fats from

citrate meat turning rancid.
1) BHA & BHT  Have been controversial.
 It has produced adverse reaction in dogs.
 BHA cause nausea; delirium & BHT cause hyperactivity;
 asthma; adverse reactions; allergies; increases cholesterol
levels
 There is limitation to the amount of BHA & BHT used.
 0-0.5 mg/kg body weight (BHA)
 0-0.3 mg/kg body weight (BHT)

2) Vitamins C & E  Safest antioxidants.

 Vit C 
(a) inhibits the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines.
(b) stimulates the immune system.
(c) protect against chromosome breakage.
 Vit E 
(a) neutralises free radical compounds before they can
damage cell membranes.
(b) helps to reduce the risk of heart disease & cancer.
 Def : substances used to improve the taste of
food & restore taste loss due to processing.
Flavouring agents  salt, sugar, vinegar, MSG,
aspartame & synthetic essences.

Flavouring Example Function

1) Monosodium Frozen food, To bring out
glutamate spice mixes, the flavour in
(C5H8NNaO4 , MSG) canned & many food.
 It is the sodium salt dry soups,
of glutamic acid. salad
 flavour enhancer dressings&
 Ajinomoto (japan) meat/ fish-based products
 Flavouring Example Function

2) Aspartame Diet drinks, To sweeten

Low-calories frozen food.
desserts &
Some soft drinks.

Non-sugar
sweetener (artificial).
White, odourless
powder.
Approximate 200x
sweeter than
sugar.
Fewer calories than
sugar.
Stable when dry /
frozen.
Loses its
sweetness over
time when stored in
liquids at > 30 ºC.
 Flavouring Example Function

3) Synthetic 1) Pentyl To produce artificial

essences Ethanoate flavour which resemble
(Banana) natural flavour.
Contains
compounds
belonging to the 2) Ethyl
homologous Butanoate
series of esters. (pineapple)
Cheaper to use
artificial flavours
than to use real 3) Methyl
fruits. butanoate
(apple)

4) Octyl
ethanoate
(orange)
1) Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
 Allergic reaction
 burning sensation in the back of the neck,
forearms and chest
 chest pain  headache  nausea
 rapid heartbeat
 bronchospasm (difficulty breathing)
 Abdominal discomfort
 To protect public’ health
 restaurant should use less / NO MSG!
 Amount of the MSG should be listed on labels
of foods.
 NOT allowed in baby food.

2) Aspartame
 cancer / neurological problems.
headache  brain damage
 epilepsy  brain tumor
Def : substances which help to prevent an
emulsion from separating out.
Many food is actually emulsions [a mixture of two immiscible
(unblendable) substances, either oil droplets suspended in water
/ water droplets suspended in oil].

(D) The surfactant

(purple outline)
(A) Two (B) An (C) The positions itself
immiscible emulsion unstable on the interfaces
liquids, of Phase II emulsion between Phase I
not dispersed progressively and Phase II,
emulsified. in Phase I. separates. stabilizing the
emulsion.
 Stabiliser Example Function
1) Lecithin 1) Salad cream- It keeps oil and
2) Mono- & di- mayonnaise (oil-in-water water from
emulsions stabilized with
glycerides of fatty egg yolk lecithin) separating out.
acids retards
rancidity.
Makes bread
softer and
prevents staling.
2) Butter & margarine Improves the
[liquid phase surrounds stability of
droplets of water (water-in- margarine.
oil emulsion].

3) Ice-cream
 Def : substances used to thicken food.
“ Modified starch” which appears on many labels is an
example of a thickener.
Starch does’t dissolve in cold water. Chemists create “modified
starch” by reacting starch with various chemicals.

Thickener Example
1) Modified starch Instant soups & pudding
 Thickener Example
2) Pectin Jam & Jelly
Polysaccharide, found in fruit &
vegetable.
Mix with sugar, pectin forms a
firm gel.
Not digested
Considered a
beneficial dietary fibre.
to increase the
viscosity of jam.
3) Acacia gum Chewing gum,
Can be obtained from acacia jelly & wine
tree.
 Thickener Example
4) Gelatine Yogurt

Made from
the boiled
bones, skins
& tendons
of animals.

5) Xanthan gum Sauce, salad dressing

(C35H49O29 )
natural gum, polysaccharide
 Def : is food colouring which used to add / restore the
colour in a food in order to :
(a) enhance its visual appeal &
(b) match consumers’ expectation.
Food processing often leads to loss of colour.
Classified into
A) Natural food dyes :
(a) Anthocyanin
(b) Carotenoid
B) Artificial food dyes :
 More uniform, more cheaper,
have brighter colour than natural
food dyes.
 Many food dyes are
(a) Azo compounds (red, orange& yellow)
(b) Triphenyl compounds (blue or green).
 A) Natural Food Dyes Example
1)Anthocyanin (violet) Found in red grapes, red
cabbage & sweet potatoes.

2) Carotenoids Found in carrots, sweet

(orange-yellow colour) potatoes, spinach, tomatoes &
palm oil.
 Turmeric
contains
Curcumin & it
is used to
produce a
yellow
colour.
 Screwpine /
“pandan” contains
Chlorophyll
& it is used to
produce a green
colour.
 B) Artificial Food Dyes Example
1) Tartrazine Orange drinks,
custard powder,
 A yellow azo dye
 Cause asthma; sweets &
hyperactivity; aspirin apricot jam.
sensitivity
 Food Dyes Example
2) Brilliant blue FCF Beverages, jellies,
 A blue triphenyl dye confections & syrups.
 Can + Tartrazine
to produce various
shades of green.
Cause hyperactivity
 Advantages Disadvantages
1) Make the food stay 1) Some food additives
fresh longer, look are associated with
nicer,& taste better. serious diseases like
cancer, asthma,
allergies &
2) Make seasonal crops hyperactivity.
& fruits available
throughout the year.
2) Make the food less
nutritions.
Before an additive may be used, it must be approved by the
government.
Food additives are never given permanent approval, but are
continually reviewed & modified or withdrawn when
necessary.
Thus, food additives can be considered safe in our diet.
Prefix letter E in additive code
means the European Community approved it.
Example :
Tartrazine = E102
Brilliant blue FCF= E133

In Malaysia, each food dye permitted

under Food Act 1983 &
Food Regulation 1985 is given a
particular number index.
Example : Tartrazine = C.I. 19140
1) State 6 types of chemicals used in food additives
& their respective function.

2) Name ONE type of food that can be preserved by pickling

vinegar. Explain how this method works.

3) Figure below shows a part of the label of a tin

of baked beans.
Ingredients :
Beans, sugar, tomato puree, salt & spice,
permitted modified starch.
(a) List all the food additives used in the baked beans.
(b) To which type of food additives does each of the
Ingredient mentioned in (a) belong?

4) What are the advantages & disadvantages of

using food additives?