Lecture-7

Functions and regulations of food additives

 Introduction

 Food Additives-is any substance (or a mixture of substances) which is added to

food and is involved in its production, processing, packaging and/or storage
without being a major ingredient.
 Food additives broadly grouped into two:

A. Intentional- additives that are purposely added to perform specific

functions.

They include preservatives, antibacterial agents, bleaching agents, antioxidants,

sweeteners, coloring agents, flavoring agents, and nutrient supplements.

B. Incidental- substance that present in food due to migration or transfer from

the package or processing equipment.

 Functions of food additives

Additives might be added into food for different reasons some these are:

1. Nutritive value of the food

2. Sensory value of the food
3. Shelf life of the food
4. Practical value
Nutritive value of food

 Additives such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and amino acid derivatives are
utilized to increase the nutritive value of food. A particular diet may also require the
use of thickening agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners, etc.

Sensory value of food

 Color, odor, taste and consistency or texture, which are important for the sensory
value of food, may decrease during processing and storage. Such decreases can be
corrected or readjusted by additives such as pigments, aroma compounds or flavor
enhancers.
 Food texture can be stabilized by adding minerals or polysaccharides, and by
many other means.
 Shelf life of food
 The world food supply situation requires preservation by avoiding
deterioration as much as possible. Involves protection against microbial spoilage,
by using antimicrobial additives and by using active agents which suppress and
retard undesired chemical and physical changes in food.

Practical value
The common trend towards foods which are easy and quick to prepare
(convenience foods) can also necessitate the increasing use of additives.
 Regulations of food additives
• All food additives are carefully regulated by federal authorities and various
international organizations to ensure that foods are safe to eat and are accurately
labeled.
• A European Union legislative package on “food improvement agents” was
published at the end of 2008. This replaced earlier EU legislation and comprised
three individual Regulations on food additives, flavorings and enzymes and a
Regulation providing a common authorization procedure for all three.

• The core principles and provisions of food additives legislation are set out in
European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008.
 EU lists of foods additives (Articles 4, 7 and 8)

 Lists of permitted food additives (including colours and sweeteners and

miscellaneous additives such as preservatives and antioxidants) can be found in
Annexes II and III of Regulation 1333/2008.
Annexes II and III have been populated by way of separate Regulations
(Commission Regulations (EU) No’s 1129/2011 and 1130/2011) ‘as amended’.
 Cont..
 To be included in the approved list, additives must comply with the
conditions set out in Regulation 1333/2008, which state that they should not
present safety concerns, should be technologically justified, and should not
mislead the consumer.
 Additives should also have advantages and benefits for the consumer such as
preserving the nutritional quality of food, enhancing its keeping quality or
stability, aiding the manufacture and processing of the product or in its
transport or storage.
 Additional specific conditions are also laid down for colours and sweeteners.
 Conditions of use for additives in foods, including maximum
limits, prohibition of additives in unprocessed foods etc. (Articles
4, 5, 11, 15 and 16)
 Conditions of use for food additives in foods, including restricted uses in
specified foods and maximum limits, are set out in Annex II.
 The maximum limits in the annexes are based on the food as sold unless
otherwise specified.
However, for dried and/or concentrated foods (including drinks), the maximum
limits apply to the food as reconstituted following manufacturers’ instructions,
taking into account the minimum dilution factor.
 It is recognized that certain substances, for example phosphates and glutamates,
are naturally present in certain foods.
 Cont…
 The quantitative limits apply to the amount of additive added. There is
however, an exception in the case of sulphites, as the legislation requires that
the specified quantitative limits include sulphites available from all sources and
therefore take into account any natural occurrence of the substance.
 There are instances in the legislation where no numerical limit is set for additive use.
This is because there is no need on safety grounds to set a maximum level. Rather a
level of quantum satis (QS) is set. QS is defined in the legislation and means that
additives shall be used in the food concerned in accordance with good manufacturing
practice.
 This means that it must not be used at a level higher than is necessary to achieve the
intended purpose and must not be used in a way that misleads the consumer.
 GM additives, additives produced from new sources or different
processes (e.g. nano technology) (Articles 12 and 13)

A food additive falling within the scope of Commission Regulation (EC) No.
1829/2003 on genetically modified food will need to be covered by an
authorization under that Regulation before it can be added to the list of permitted
additives;

e.g. an emulsifier made from GM soya oil would be permitted provided that the
GM soya is permitted under Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003 and the
emulsifier complies with the relevant EU specification.
 Carry-over rule (Article 18)

 “Carry-over” provisions apply to most foods permitted to contain food

additives, but not to those specially prepared for infants and young
children. These provisions permit the presence of a permitted food
additive in a compound food, to the extent that the food additive is
allowed by the provisions of Annex II of Regulation 1333/2008 in one of
the ingredients of the compound food (Article 18.1 (a) refers).
 Cont…
 Recital 16 of Regulation 1333/2008 should be taken into account when
considering applying the carry-over rule – this states that the level of the additive
in the final food should be no greater than would be introduced by the use of the
ingredient under proper technological conditions and good manufacturing
practice, thus preventing misuse of carry-over. Examples of carry-over are given
below:

A fruit yoghurt consisting of plain (unflavored) yoghurt and a fruit preparation

would be permitted to contain sorbates, are permitted in fruit preparations, even
though they are not permitted in plain yoghurts. The level used must not exceed
the maximum level for the fruit preparation element of the yoghurt.
 Rules on the labeling of food additives sold as such to other
businesses and to consumers (Articles 21- 23)

• Table top sweeteners containing polyols must carry the warning

“excessive consumption may induce laxative effects”, and table top
sweeteners containing aspartame or aspartame-acesulfame salt must be
marked with the indication “contains a source of phenylalanine”.
Specific labeling requirements for six authorized food colours
(Article 18)

 Foods containing Tartrazine (E 102), Ponceau 4 R (E 124), Sunset

yellow (E 110), Carmoisine (E 122), Quinoline yellow (E 104) and
Allura Red (E 129) are required to be labelled with the following
additional information;
‘name or E number of the colour(s)’: may have an adverse effect on
activity and attention in children’.
Question, Comment or Suggestion ?