Types of Food additives

• Thickening agents: substances added into food to reduce its amount of water so that the food is thickened. Examples: pectin, acacia gum, gelatin.
• Food dyes (colourings): substances added to food to add or restore the color of food in order to enhance its visual appeal and to match consumer expectations. Examples: Azo compounds such as tartrazine, triphenyl compounds such as brilliant blue FCF. Azo compounds are usually red, orange, brown or yellow in colour while triphenyl compounds are usually blue or green in color.
• Stabilisers: substances added into food to prevent an emulsion from being separated out. Examples: Lecithin, mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids.
• Flavourings: substances added to food to improve the taste of food and to restore taste loss due to processing. Examples: Sugar, vinegar, common salt, aspartame, monosodium glutamate, synthetic essences such as penthyl ethanoate.
• Antioxidants: substances added to food to prevent oxidation by air that can cause rancid fats and browning of fruits. Examples: ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, tocopherol, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
• Preservatives: Subtances added to food to slow down or to prevent the growth of microorganisms so that food can be kept for a longer period of time. Examples: sodium benzoate, sulphur dioxide, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbat.