Types Of Food Additives
Different types of food additives are used for different purposes and though they are used for different purposes, one thing is common between all types of food additives- they help preserve food. These additives may have side-effects while others may not. The thing about additives is that while those that are more natural are extracted from healthy sources cause no problems, synthetic ones do and these are the ones that cause side-effects. The side-effects aren’t always serious but in some cases they may trigger certain allergies that could potentially even lead to death, if taken in large amounts.
One of the many types of food additives are acids. Apart from acting as antioxidants and preservatives these are also used to add flavor to foods to give them that ‘sharp’ taste that customers want. Certain types of acids are even used in crisps and other products that are manufactured to ‘enhance’ their taste. If you’ve ever had sauces and crisps you will see that the spicy ones are quite spicy and have a certain ‘tanginess’ to them because of which you can really get a taste of the spice. That is due to the addition of vinegar to these sauces and crisps which enhance the spiciness.
Certain types of food additives are used to add color to the foods themselves. These are added because when these foods are made or prepared they tend to lose their natural color and so the color is added to make them look more attractive. No one would consider buying a colorless food or one that doesn’t look natural or real and these types of food additives help a company make food look real. They do not affect the nutritional value of the food and so it is most unlikely they would cause any side-effects.
Sometimes certain types of food additives are used to give foods flavor and these are known as flavorings. What these food additives do is that they add flavor or give flavor to foods. In some cases artificially made foods are given flavor by the use of these types of food additives. These are added to artificial foods such as chocolate, jelly, jelly beans, biscuits and many other foods that are sold in markets and even restaurants. These are not always artificial, though and in some cases they are/may be real instead too.
Many foods do consist of so many types of food additives today and that is why a lot of foods can ‘survive’ and be eaten in all sorts of weather conditions and in different places in the world. Without the addition of food additives many foods would perish quickly and/or rot and become inedible. The whole reason due to which we are able to enjoy different types of foods today is because of the fact that there are so many types of food additives that can be used to give food flavor, make them look attractive and these also make foods more sellable and edible where customers are concerned.
