Mrs. Soll Family and Consumer Science New Providence Middle School Additives – What is really in the food that you eat?

What is it? See if you can guess the food based off of the ingredients Beans, water, tomato puree, sugar, modified starch, salt, spices Corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, malic acid, sorbital, natural and artifical flavors, mineral oil, artificial color (red 40, yellow 6, yellow 5, blue 1), carnauba, wax, soybean oil Wheat flour, water, sugar, desiccated coconut, apple puree, oil, cinnamon, salt, butter, skimmed milk, sesame seeds, spices, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, calcium propionate, black onion seed, yeast

Additives– Why do we have them? They prevent food from spoiling. They keep food looking fresh for an extended amount of time. They improve the taste or texture Most additives do not add any nutritional value to the food they are added to.

Colors 1.htm - We 'taste' with our eyes. If food does not look appealing then we often think it tastes bad as well. 1.htm Enhance the look and appearance of food Can be natural (banana peel) or artificial (yellow 5) 2.htm 2.htm

Emulsifiers Prevent oil and water from separating 2.htm 2.htm The most commonly used emulsifiers are lecithin and the mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids Used in a large variety of foods (mayo, breads, gum, desserts, ect.)

Preservatives Prevents the growth of bacteria so that food can last longer Preservatives found in nature are sparse, so scientist have created synthetic preservatives that mimic the nature ones. There are over 80 substances that are permitted use as preservatives Normally, these are going to be the ingredients that you can’t find in the store – ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, sulfur dioxide, potassium nitrate, propionic acid, etc.

Anti-Caking Agents Prevents food from clumping and becoming hard Used in powdered drinks, soup mixes, boxed meals, etc. Going to be ingredients that you can’t find at the store – calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate, and dicalcium phosphate. Natural products such as talc, kaolin, potato starch and microcrystalline cellulose are also used.

Honorable Mentioned Sweeteners – used to enhance flavor Antioxidants - added to foods that contain unsaturated fats to make them last longer and prevent them from turning rancid (oxidizing) Gelling agents – used to enhance texture and appearance