Bachelor of Technology and

Livelihood Education

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food additives and

preservatives

Fundamentals of Food Technology

Lesson : FOOD ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES

𝔼𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕚𝕥

At the end of the lesson, the learner must be able to:

1. Identify the reason(s) why food additives and preservatives are used.
2. Understand the different sources of food additives.
3. Appreciate the importance of food additives and preservatives.

𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕥𝕪: 2-Pics-1-Word
DIRECTIONS: Given the four pictures, identify the word/term being
described.

__ __ __ __ S A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

__ R __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

Fundamentals of Food Technology

 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕟

Nowadays, most people prefer ready-to-eat foods than preparing it for themselves
because of the convenience they get from it. Those foods readily available in the
market contain preservatives and additives. You have learned in the previous
module the main purpose of adding these to food is to lengthens its shelf life and
prevents the easy spoilage of food.

Although, preserving foods have lots of benefits to food safety, still there are also
disadvantages to be considered when take in excess especially to one’s health.

These food preservatives and additives may lead to certain serious health
problems.

Preservatives

Substances add to food to prevent or slow

spoilage and maintain natural colors and
flavors. Preservative food additives reduce the
risk of food borne infections, decrease microbial
spoilage, and preserve fresh attributes and
nutritional quality.

Examples:
Salt, vinegar, sugar, sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, sulphur dioxide

Food preservatives serve as either antimicrobials or antioxidants- or both.

1. Antimicrobials prevent the growth of molds, yeasts and bacteria.

2. Antioxidants keep foods from becoming rancid, turning brown, or
developing black spots.

Food Additives

Any substance a food producer intentionally adds

to a food for a specific purpose. Processed foods
often contain small amounts of ingredients,
added to extend their shelf life, or improve;
colour, flavour, texture or nutritional value

Fundamentals of Food Technology

Additives serve a variety of purposes, which are used as the basis for
classifying food additives into the following categories:

1. Color additives. May be used in food to

enhance natural colors, add color to colorless and
'fun' foods such as cake decorations, and help
identify flavors (such as purple for grape flavor or
yellow for lemon). Color additives are sometimes
called artificial dyes. Artificial dyes, also called
certified color additives, are designated with
numbers and names.

BFAD (Food, Drug, and Cosmetic)following the USFDA regulations, currently

allows nine synthetic dyes to be used in foods, three of which have restricted
uses:

Citrus Red 2 for orange skins only .

FD&C Blue No. 1 (brilliant blue FCF),
FD&C Blue No. 2 (indigotine)
FD&C Green No. 3 (fast green FCF),
FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosin) restricted uses
FD&C Red No. 40 (allura red)
FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine),
FD&C Yellow No. 6 (sunset yellow FCF), and
Orange BN sausage casings only.

2. Flavor Additives. Substances used to impart

taste and/or smell to food. There are more than
1,400 (and still counting) natural and synthetic
flavors used in food. Flavor additives are
classified in the industry as natural, if extracted
directly from its plant or animal sources, nature
identical, if the chemical configuration is
identical to that naturally derived and artificial,
if it does not belong to the other 2 categories.

3. Fat substitutes. These are the macromolecules that are physically and
chemically resemble triglycerides (conventional fat/oils) and which can
theoretically replace the fat in foods on a one-to one, grams-for-grams basis.
Many Stable at cooking and frying temperature. Three major substitutes are;
Olestra (also known by its chemical name, sucrose polyester), Polydextrose, and
Simplesse.

Fundamentals of Food Technology

4. Nutritional Additives. Used for the
purpose of restoring nutrients lost or
degraded during production, fortifying or
enriching certain foods in order to correct
dietary deficiencies, or adding nutrients to
food substitutes. Enriched foods contain
nutrients added to replace those that were
lost during processing.

In the Philippines, the Sangkap Pinoy iodine and Vitamin A have been mandated
for fortification of some staples: iodine in the Vitamin A in cooking oil, sugar and
flour and iron in rice and flour and encouraged other kinds of food.

5. Texture Modifiers. A variety of additives are used to improve the texture of

foods: anticaking agents silicates in table salt. Cornstarch in sugar, magnesium
stearate. Magnesium carbonate and dextrose: dough conditioners, emulsifiers,
humectants, meat tenderizers, thickeners ( gums, cellulose, starches, agar,
pectins).

5. Antioxidants. Antioxidants are used to prevent undesirable color and flavor

changes in foods due to reaction with oxygen. Antioxidants are added to oil used
in such products as potato chips, crackers, sausages, and nuts.

The following are common antioxidants, ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate

(vitamin C), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT),
erythorbic acid, propyl gallate, sodium erythorbate, tertiary butylated
hydroquinone (TBHQ), and tocopherols (vitamin E).

Antimicrobials/Preservatives

1. Various acids also prevent or siow the growth of molds and micro-organisms
and are effective against pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria.
2. Mold inhibitors such as sodium and calcium propionate, are commonly used
in breads and cakes. Sorbic acid, another mold inhibitor, is used in cheese as
well as in some beverages and pet foods.
3. Sodium nitrate and nitrite were used for centuries to preserve meat. Today.
Nitrates are not often used, but nitrites continue to be added to some cured
meats, such as hot dogs, bacon, salami, bologna. And other luncheon meats.
The function of nitrite is threefold: it provides the desirable pink color in these
products, adds flavor, and inhibits the bacterium that causes botulism.
4. Sulfites are used to reduce or prevent spoilage and discoloration during
preparation, storage, and distribution of many foods. Sulfites prevent dried

Fundamentals of Food Technology

apples from darkening, help potatoes stay white, and keep shrimp and buko
from discoloring.

Controversial Food Additives

Artificial dyes such as Red No.3, Green No.3 and Yellow No. 6 have been banned
in certain countries. Artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin, cyclamate,
aspartame are controversial additives that have been restricted or banned in
some countries.

The Value of Food Additives

Without food additives, there would be fewer

convenience foods, such as frozen dinners,
breakfast cereals, cake mixes, and low-calorie
foods, and consumers would need to shop
often, buying only small quantities of
perishable food.

The risks and the benefits of additives must be

weighed. No substance in food, be it synthetic
or natural, is completely safe if used inappropriately. When used appropriately,
however, food additives can allow greater selection in the supermarket, decrease
the chances of food spoilage, and make foods more nutritious.

Chemical Preservatives

Chemical preservatives are widely used in the

food industry and are invariably cheap
ingredients that are effective against a wide
range of spoilage organisms. Chemical food
preservatives include compounds such as
sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, nitrites,
sulfites, sodium sorbate and potassium
sorbate.

Fundamentals of Food Technology

 𝔼𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕖
Direction. Read and analyze the following questions carefully. Encircle the letter of the best
answer. (1 point each)

1. What is the importance of food preservatives?

a. improve taste
b. enhance flavor
c. fight spoilage
d. minimize lifespan
2. Oils have a tendency to go rancid from exposure to the air. To counter this, you should use
a(n):
a. Antioxidants
b. Antimicrobials
c. Fortifying agents
d. Thickening Agents
3. Vinegar is used to pickle foods. In this instance, vinegar is acting as a(n):
a. Antioxidant
b. Flavor enhancer
c. Preservative
d. Food Additive
4. Sugar is added to jams and jellies to prevent the growth of bacteria for long periods of time.
Here, the sugar is used as:
a. An antioxidant
b. A preservative
c. A stabilizer
d. A fortifying agent
5. These are important components of many products, making them attractive, appealing,
appetizing, and informative, sometimes called artificial dyes.
a. Texture Modifiers
b. Fat Substitutes
c. Color Additives
d. Nutritional Additives
6. Food spoilage is due to...
a. Micro-organisms and toxin produced
b. Microorganisms and excess production
c. Enzymes an excess production
d. All the above

Fundamentals of Food Technology

7. All of the following are common antioxidants, except:
a. Erythorbic Acid
b. Propyl Gallate
c. Sodium Erythorbate
d. Valacyclovir
8. Having excess body fat results in obesity, what will you do to enrich certain foods in order
to correct dietary deficiencies?
a. Follow your lifestyle habits
b. Follow the nutritional additives
c. Eat more foods to lose your weights
d. Follow your wants and needs
9. Which of the following is not a food preservative?
a. Salt
b. Pepper
c. Sugar
d. Vinegar
10. It is an antimicrobial preservative and flavoring agent that can inhibit the growth of
bacteria.
a. Formaldehyde
b. Sodium Benzoate
c. Sodium Nitrate
d. Sugar
11. What is the main government agency responsible for food safety?
a. Department of Health (DOH)
b. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
c. Public Health Service (PHS)
d. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
12. It provides the desirable pink color in these products, adds flavor, and inhibits the
bacterium that causes botulism.
a. Sodium Nitrite
b. Sodium Nitrate
c. Sulfites
d. Mold Inhibitors
13. How many natural and synthetic flavors are used in food as flavor additives?
a. less than 1,400 flavors
b. more than 1,400 flavors
c. exact 1400 flavors
d. 5 flavors
14. These mold inhibitors are commonly used in breads and cakes.

Fundamentals of Food Technology

 a. Sodium and calcium propionate
b. Sorbic acid
c. Vinegar
d. Sugar
15. What food preservatives contain sulfur dioxide?
a. sodium
b. sulfuric
c. sulfites
d. sulfate
16. One of the nine synthetic dyes to be used in foods also called tartrazine.
a. FD&C Red No. 3
b. FD&C Red No. 40
c. FD&C Yellow No. 5
d. FD&C Yellow No. 6
17. All the following are the three major fat substitutes, except:
a. olestra
b. polydextrose,
c. Simplesse
d. Carrageenan
18. All of the following are common antioxidants, except:
a. ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate (vitamin C)
b. calciferol (vitamin D)
c. butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
d. butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
19. The importance of food additives are as follows, except:
a. To maintain or improve safety and freshness of food
b. To add more good nutritional value of food
c. To improve taste, texture and appearance of food
d. To draw attention to the specific ingredients in a dish
20. A substance used to impart taste and/or smell to food.
a. Nutritional Additives
b. Food Additives
c. Flavor Additives
d. Color Additives

Fundamentals of Food Technology

Photo Credit:
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/amp/common-ways-to-preserve-food-
/5076159.html
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/76058/food-additives-consumers-
queries-answered/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/top-10-worst-foods-you-
should-give-up/
https://www.reagent.co.uk/chemical-methods-of-food-preservation/

References:
https://slideplayer.com/amp/6995155/
https://www.learnpick.in/prime/documents/ppts/details/205/food-additives
https://bouldersausage.com/real-food-for-your-table/preservatives-additives/

Fundamentals of Food Technology

Fundamentals of Food Technology