Chemicals in Food Preservatives

Did you ever realise that the artificial sweeteners that you consume as chemicals daily are chemicals themselves? 

Under the Food and Drug Administration, food preservatives are included in heavy percentages per cent of the packaged foods we consume today. The problem is that some of these chemicals are highly detrimental to your health, while others are necessary to keep the food fresh and edible. Let us find out more about the chemicals included in the food.

Food Preservatives

All the parts of food in canning food preservation are chemicals. People eat the majority of their food made up of chemicals called carbs, fat, proteins, minerals, and water. The vitamins and natural antioxidants, antimycotics, buffers, thickeners, emulsifiers, chelating agents, colours, and flavours are just a few of the small amounts of other chemicals found in food.

Many chemicals are added critically to make food more appealing and last longer. There are a lot of food additives out there. Still, the main ones are food colours and sweeteners, antioxidants, fat emulsifiers, stabilising agents, flour improvers (like gluten), food preservatives, and nutritional supplements like minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. Only a nutritional supplement has any nutritional value, and nothing else has it. Many types of chemicals listed below are used nowadays as food preservatives.

Food additives

Food additives are food preservatives that are added to improve the look, taste, or even to keep the flavours of the food. Some of them, such as sugar and salt, are naturally occurring flavours. However, chemists have developed many different flavours, and methyl salicylate is one of them.

The following are examples of significant food additives:

1. Food colours
2. Preservatives
3. Enzymes
4. Artificial flavours and sweeteners

• Colouring Agent for Food Colorings

The colourant is used as a chemical in food to alter a food substance’s appearance. Colours can be found in nature and those that have been purposefully created. Caramel is an example of a naturally occurring food colour, whereas caramel colouring is an example of an artificially created food colour.

• Preservatives

Antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial preservatives are chemicals used to preserve food against bacteria, yeast, and mould. Both Class-I and Class-II are subdivided into two groups: I and II, respectively. Salt, sugar, and vegetable oils are examples of class-I preservatives. Preservatives belonging to the Class II family are listed below in alphabetical order.

• Sodium benzoate

Sodium benzoate is the widest variety of preservatives used in the food market. It is also the most expensive. It is utilised as a flavouring agent in soft drinks and acidic dishes.

• Sodium metabisulphite

Foods like jams, pickles, squashes, and similar items are preserved with sodium metabisulphite.

• Sorbic acid

Mould and yeast development are inhibited by using sorbic acid and its salts. Sorbic acid is a powerful antifungal agent. A variety of items, including cheese, baked goods, and some meats, are treated to keep yeasts and moulds from growing.

• Enzymes

When it comes to converting processes from one material to another, enzymes are biological catalysts that are utilised. The enzymes participating in a chemical process reduce the energy and time necessary to finish. Food processing companies employ enzymes in manufacturing food preservatives items such as dairy products, fruit juices, beer, bread, and other baked goods.

• Artificial Sweeteners:

Sucrose and fructose are two of the most common natural sweeteners. Many people use artificial sweeteners because they add calories and cause tooth decay. For example, some of them are saccharin, aspartame, alitame, sucralose, cyclamate, and L-glucose.

• Saccharin

It is one of the most widely used sweetening compounds, and it may be found in a variety of items, including beverages, sweets, pharmaceuticals, and toothpaste. However, it has a severe bitter (or metallic) aftertaste at high concentrations 550 times sweeter than cane sugar.