READING PASSAGE:

FOOD ADDITIVES

The most frequently discussed food chemistry problem in the popular press today
is that of food additives. A food additive is any substance not naturally present in a
food but added during its preparation and remaining in the finished product; also in
this category is any substance naturally present but with a concentration increased by
fortification. However, since salt, sugar, vinegar have been used for centuries, they
are not usually considered food additives. Today many compounds are added to
foods and the list of substances that protect against spoilage, that enhance flavor, that
improve nutritive value, or that give some new property to a food is increasing
rapidly.
For some reasons the market for these food additives is large and growing. Since
in the United Stated the distance between producer and consumer of food can be
great, the length of the time between harvest and eating can present many problems
in maintaining freshness. The economic status of the average consumer has improved
until he is able to demand and pay for high grade products. There is a constant search
for methods to improve quality: ways, for example, to prevent a fall-off in flavor of
poultry or fish stands in the butcher’s cold counter; to prevent the high loss of fresh
fruits and vegetables between field and kitchen; and to prolog the shelf life of bakery
products.
As the production of new food additives increased, suspicion grew that
safeguards against toxicity were not adequate. Considerable interest developed in the
methods used by federal agencies to ensure the safety of new additives. The toxicity
of pesticides for insects alarmed some consumers who believed that surely these
compounds that kill insects might be equally lethal for themselves.
Agene was used as bleach for flour for many years. Bleaching improves the
baking quality of flour in a short time and produces flour comparable to the more
expensive aged product. Agene was used in very low concentration but it was shown
in the late 40’s that flour bleached with this agent or bread baked from this flour
caused running fits in dogs and convulsions in rabbits, ferrets, and cats – a report
which led to an almost hysterical distrust of all food additives in some of our
population. The animals adversely affected were fed diets composed principally of
flour or bread. It has never been demonstrated that harmful effects are caused by this
flour or bread in man although a number of experiments have been conducted to test
to the possible toxicity. Nevertheless, on August1, 1949, agene was removed from
the list of permissible bleaching agents.
(The main source: L.H. Meyer, “Food Chemistry”, pp. 351-352 – Adopted from the
main book of reading material “English for University Teaching”)
 MONITOR COMPREHENSION (THE TO-DO LIST OF REPEATED
READING)

THINGS TO DO YES NO COMMENTS

I do not read the text
word for word but chunk
it and read it in good
flow.
While I read, I recall my
questions that I need to
find the answers from
the text and try to answer
the questions.
When I find difficult
words or sentences or
parts, I help myself by
applying the following
ways:
1.) Understanding
from the content what a
word or sentence means;
2.) Rereading the
current sentence or
sentences;
3.) Rereading the
previous sentences or
parts or context;
4.) Looking up the
dictionary to get the
meaning of difficult
words and try to figure
out the meaning.
When I read, I keep
activating my
background knowledge;
I visualize. I predict.
While I read, I remember
favourite parts from the
text.