What are they, and what is the function of food additives?
Many foods that are on the market have food additives, a clear example are those that contain colorings and flavorings, since both are two types of additives.
Taking into account that these are substances that are found in various foods, it is important that we know their function and more importantly if they are healthy.
What are food additives?
We know as additives those substances that are found in food but are not food in and of themselves. That is, they are added, either in food or in drinks. You must bear in mind that this is done in small quantities, its purpose being to achieve the modification of the organoleptic characteristics.
Clear examples of additives widely used for thousands of years are salt and vinegar.
However, with the passage of time and thanks to research, new substances have been developed that can be added to food and are also considered additives.
However, you must bear in mind that many of the additives have carcinogenic elements. But they can also cause skin and intestinal health problems. Due to this, many efforts are currently being made to reduce the use of these elements in food.
However, you must bear in mind that thanks to the rigorous control and the studies that are carried out. Many additives are considered safe ingredients to add to our food.
Role of additives
As we can imagine, food additives also play a role in our diet, even though some of them can be dangerous. To begin with, we can say that this substance has the mission of ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of food, increasing its stability, enhancing consumer acceptance and giving the product homogeneity.
Keep in mind that these substances have other purposes. However, you should emphasize that additives alone can be used, yes;
It meets the conditions of purities. There is the possibility of identifying them in food. Its use is extensive of dangers for the health of the consumer. The composition of the food must be changed to make it healthier.
If you take all this into account we can say that these types of substances. They are not allowed if the aforementioned effects can be carried out by other means. In this sense, as long as it is not necessary to add an additive to food, it should not be done.