AMITY INSTITUTE OF FOOD

TECHNOLOGY

FOOD ADDITIVES ASSIGNMENT

ON
“CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES”
Under the Guidance
of
MR. ALOK SAXENA
• A preservative is defined as any substance which is capable of
inhibiting, retarding, or arresting, the growth of micro-organisms,
of any deterioration of food due to micro-organisms, or of
masking the evidence of any such deterioration. It is estimated
that nearly one fifth of the world’s food is lost by microbial
spoilage. Chemical preservatives interfere with the cell membrane
of micro-organisms, their enzymes, or their genetic mechanisms.

• The compounds used as preservatives include natural

preservatives, such as sugar, salt, acids, etc, as well as synthetic
preservatives. The safe-use period of many foods is greatly
extended through the addition of preservatives, which retard
spoilage, preserve flavour and colour and keep oils from turning
rancid. Preservatives protect foods, such as cured meats, from
developing dangerous toxins, such as botulism, a food poisoning
illness .
• These substancesare added in very low quantities (up to 0.2%) which do
not alter the organoleptic and physiochemical properties of the foods at
or only very little.
• Thismethodisusuallybasedonthe combined or synergisticactivity
of several additives, intrinsic product parameters and extrinsicfactors.

• Food preservatives, spices, and flavoring agents have been added to

foods for thousands of years. These compoundswhich are added to
foods are termed as food additives.
• Chemical food preservatives are applied to foods as direct additives
during processing, or develop by themselves during processessuch as
fermentation.
 Harmful effects of food
preservatives:
• Taking large quantity of preservative is also harmful leading to health problem.
• People who are sensitive to small amount of particular preservative should not the
same.
• Research published in the "Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association" in
2001 discovered that intake of foods preserved with sodium benzoate and sodium
nitrite among pregnant rats is associated with a higher death rate in offspring. The
results suggest that pregnant women should need caution or avoid the
consumption of foods containing these preservatives.
• Preservatives such as EDTA and Nitrites increase the risk of cancer.
• Sulfite preservatives may cause asthma symptoms. Nowadays FDA prohibited the
use of sulfites preservatives as it causes respiratory diseases.
• According to a 2007 study published in the journal "Lancet." Use of sodium
benzoate causes hyperactivity in children’s.
• A number of food preservatives are banned because of severe health problems
associated with them.
• Alzheimer's disease, an irreversible neurological disease that causes cognitive
deterioration and metabolic diseases is caused due to excess consumption of
• Chemicalpreservatives:
 Interferewiththecellmembranesof microorganisms,
 their enzymeactivityor thengenetic mechanisms.
• Preservatives may also serve:
 asantioxidants,
 asstabilizers,
 firmingagents and
 as moistureretainers.
• Chemicals that function to preserve the food are generallyadded afterthe
foodhasbeenprocessed and before it is packaged.
• Certain preservatives have been used either accidentally or intentionally for
centuries,and include sodium chloride (common salt), sugar, acids, alcohols and
components of smoke. In addition to preservation, these compounds
contribute to the qualityand identity of the products, and are applied through
processing procedures such as salting, curing, fermentation andsmoking.
 Chemical Preservatives
• The different chemical preservatives used are:
1. Traditional chemical food preservatives
 Sugar
 Salt

2. Acidulants
 Benzoic acid
 Sorbic acid
 Lactic acid

3. Gaseous chemical food preservatives/ leavening agents

 Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
 Carbondioxide
 Chemical Preservatives
4. Antioxidants
 Butylated Hydroxy Anisole (BHA)
 Butylated Hydroxy Toluence (BHT)
 Propyl Gallate
 Natural/Synthetic Tocophelos (Vitamin E)
 Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) and
 Lecithin.
5. Colour additives
6. Flavour additives
7. Sweeteners
8. Emulsifiers
• Sugar is used in making jellies and cured hams. It is used in brines or is
directly applied to the food.
• Their effect is to increased osmotic pressure at a level which will prevent
microorganism development. The cell growth of the micro organisms is
inhibited or the organism itself may be completely destroyed.
• Salt also causes dehydration by drawing out and tying up water from the
tissue of the food. Salt added to food also ionizes, yielding the chlorine
ion, which is harmful to micro organisms and interferes with the action
of proteolytic enzymes.
• Sugar preserving action is determined by the rationbetween the total sugar
quantityinthe finished product and the total sugar concentration in the liquid
phase. The concentrations of 60% inthefinishedproduct assures food
preservation.
• In food preserved with sugar, the water activity cannot reduce below 0.845; this value
is sufficient for bacteria and neosmophile yeast inhibition but less effective on moulds.
 Benzoic
• Benzoic acidacid
in the form of its sodium salt,
constitutes one of the most common chemical food
preservative.
• Sodium benzoateis a common preservative in acid
or acidified foods such as fruit juices, syrups, jams
and jellies, sauerkraut, pickles, preserves, fruit
cocktails,etc.
• Yeasts are inhibited by benzoate to agreater extent
than are moulds andbacteria.
 Sorbic acid
• Sorbic acid and its salts are practically tasteless andodourlessinfoods,when
usedatreasonable levels(<0.3%) andtheirantimicrobialactivityis generally
adequate.
• It is considered non toxic and is metabolised; among other common food
preservatives . The WHO hassetthehighestacceptabledailyintake (25 mg/
kg bodyweight) for sorbic acid.
• Sorbatesareusedformouldandyeastinhibition in a variety of foods
including fruits and vegetables, fruit juices, pickles, sauerkraut, syrups, jellies,
jams, preserves, high moisture dehydrated fruits,etc.
• Potassium sorbate, a white, fluffy powder, is very soluble in water (over 50%)
and when addedtoacidfoodsitishydrolysedtotheacid form.
• Sodium and calcium sorbates also have preservative activities but their
application is limited compared to that of potassium salt,whichisemployed
becauseof its stability, general ease of preparation and water solubility.
 Lactic acid
• Thisacidis themain product ofmany food fermentations; it is
formed by microbial degradation of sugars in products such as
sauerkraut andpickles.

• The acid produced in such fermentations decreasesthepH to

levelsunfavourableforgrowth of spoilage organisms such as
putrefactive anaerobes and butyric-acid-producingbacteria.

• Yeastsand moulds thatcangrow atsuch pH levels can be

controlled by the inclusion of other preservativessuch as
sorbateand benzoate.
 Sulphur dioxide and
• Sulphites
SO andsulphitesmaybeaddedtosuchfoodsas
2 divedfruits,fruitpulpand
juices,andmolasses. They conserve colour, act as antioxidantsand control
microbialgrowth.
• Sulphurdioxideanditsvarioussulphitesdissolve in water,and at low pH levels
yield sulphurous acid, bisulphite and sulphiteions.

• The various sulphite salts contain 50-68% active sulphur dioxide. A pH

dependent equilibrium is formed in water and the proportion of SO2 ions
increaseswithdecreasingpHvalues.AtpHvalues lessthan4.0theantimicrobial
activityreachesits maximum. Inthepastcutfruitsandvegetablesinsaladsbars
weresprayedor dippedinasolution of sulphites.
• Sulphur inhibits enzymatic browning and keeps planttissuefreshlonger.But
thispracticehasbeen banned by the FDA because there were over 100
reported cases of adverse reactions including death.
• Approximately5-11% ofasthmaticsaresensitiveto sulphates and experience
symptoms such as headaches, nausea, abdominal pains and dizziness.
 Carbon
• Carbondioxideisusedasasolid(dryice)in many countries as a means of
dioxide
low- temperature storage and transportation of foodproducts.
• Beside keeping the temperature low, as it sublimes, the gaseous CO2 inhibits
growth of psychrotrophic micro-organisms and prevents spoilage of the food
(fruits and vegetables, etc.)
• CO2isusedasadirectadditivein the storage of fruits andvegetables.
• In the controlled/ modified environment storage of fruit and vegetables, the
correct combinationof O2 andCO2 delaysrespiration and ripening as well as
retarding mould and yeastgrowth.
• Thefinalresultisanextendedstorageofthe products for transportation and
for consumption during the off-season.
• TheamountofCO2(5-10%)isdeterminedby factors such as nature of
product, variety, climate and extent ofstorage.
 Nitrates and
• Nitrites
Have been used as preservatives for meats for centuries
especially in hams,bacon,bologna hotdogs and sausages.
• Their use produces a cured meatflavour and helps
stabilize the pinkcolour.
• Nitrites prevent the growth Clostridium botulinum, micro
organisms that secrete a deadly toxin these micro
organisms grow in anaerobic condition readily found in
theinterior of ham or in meatthathas been vacuum
package.
• However,ithas been found thatnitritehas theability to
reactwith amino acids(found in proteins of meat) to form
nitrosamines. These compounds have been reported to
includelivers cancers in animals.
 Antioxidant
• s in preventingrancidity in fats
Antioxidants are beneficial
and foods containing fats.
• Fatsexposed to light,moisture, heator heavy metal ions
become activated and oxidize (reach with available
oxygen) toperoxides.
• Themost used antioxidantsareButylatedHydroxy
Anisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxy Toluence (BHT), Propyl
Gallate, Natural/Synthetic Tocophelos (VitaminE)
AscorbicAcid(vitamin C)and Lecithin.
• BHA + BHT arefrequency used in varietyof products
because they are relatively stable to heat and maintain
their effect in cookedproducts.
 Colour
Additives
• The acceptance of food products is determined
largely by its appearance, consumers become
accustomed to standardized colours in familiar foods
and base their purchasinghabits/decisions or past
experiences.

• In orderto improvethe colour of foods colorants are

added to carbonated beverages, frozen desserts
some dairy andbaked products.
 Flavour
• Natural foodadditives
flavours are rarely used because the
methods required to obtain the necessary amounts are
expensive. In addition may are not uniform in flavour
quality or chemical composition and main availability is
dependent on the season.
• Suppose that a manufactures wanted to produce
bananas ice-cream, it will take 5 tons of bananas to
extract ½ litre of banana oil.
• Hence if the demand for flavourings agents in our food
supply is to be met, artificial flavourings become a
necessity.
• The flavouring agents commonly used are Esters C
pentylacetate responsible for banana flavour, aldehyde
like benzylaldehyde with cherry flavour.
 Sweetener
•
s
Sweeteners are added to many foods to enhance taste they can be classified
as nutritive or non-nutritive.
• Nutritive sweeteners contain calories because they are metabolized by the
body to produce energy. Examples of nutritive sweetener include sucrose,
glucose (dextrose, fructose and invert sugar. High fructose corn syrup)
• High fructose corn syrup are produced from corn syrups, that have been treated
with an enzyme, glucose isomerase’s. This enzyme converts the corn syrup to a
product containing 42% fructose 50% glucose.

• Further fractionation of the 42% HFCS result into second generation that contains
90% fructose. Because fructose is sweeter either sucrose or glucose, the use of
HFCS in food products permits a smaller amount of sugar to be added especially in
the manufacture of soft drinkers
• Non nutritive sweeteners, such as saccharin do not provide calories because they
are not metabolized. Aspartame is classified as a non nutritive sweeter even
though it is metabolized to two amino acids (phenylalanine and aspartic acid)
because the level of aspartame used is extremely small only of aspartame is
weeded to produce a sweetness that is equivalent to sucrose.
 Emulsifier
s
• Emulsifiers allow molecules that aremutually
antagonistic (water and oil) to mix together. They
also improve the texture, volume and body of
baked goods by maintaining an even distribution of
ingredients.
• One of the most used emulsifiers is lecithin
found naturally in milk, eggs andsoybeans.