Food additives have greatly promoted the development of the food industry and are hailed as the soul of the modern food industry, mainly because they bring many benefits to the food industry.
The main functions of food additives are roughly as follows:
Preventing Spoilage
For example, preservatives can prevent food spoilage caused by microorganisms, extend the shelf life of food, and also prevent food poisoning caused by microbial contamination.
Antioxidants, on the other hand, can prevent or delay oxidative spoilage of food, providing stability and shelf life, while also preventing the formation of potentially harmful auto-oxidation substances in oils.
Furthermore, they can be used to prevent enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning in food, especially fruits and vegetables. These are all significant for food preservation.
Improving Sensory Properties
Improving the sensory properties of food-the appropriate use of food additives such as colorants, color protectants, bleaching agents, flavorings, emulsifiers, and thickeners can significantly improve the sensory quality of food, meeting diverse consumer needs.
Preserving Nutritional Value
Preserving and Enhancing Nutritional Value-Appropriately adding certain food fortifiers that fall within the range of natural nutrients during food processing can significantly improve the nutritional value of food. This is of great significance for preventing malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, promoting nutritional balance, and improving people's health.
Facilitating Supply
Increasing Variety and Convenience-The market now offers consumers over 20,000 food products. Although most of these foods are produced through packaging and various processing methods, many products with excellent color, aroma, and taste have had coloring, flavoring, and even other food additives added to varying degrees during production. It is precisely the supply of these numerous foods, especially convenience foods, that brings great convenience to people's lives and work.
Facilitating Processing
Facilitating food processing-The use of defoamers, filter aids, stabilizers, and coagulants in food processing can benefit food processing operations. For example, using glucono delta-lactone as a tofu coagulant can facilitate the mechanization and automation of tofu production.
