Food Industry

Food additives are substances that are added to food to maintain or improve the safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance. In a time where the public is more aware and interested with what they eat, natural (or biobased) additives, obtained from natural raw materials like plant, animals, minerals, etc., have been gaining interest both from the food industries and the consumers. With the rising demand for healthy foods ingredients and the deeper understanding of health diseases happening due to artificial additives, the demand for biobased food additives products increases.

Common Natural Food Additives

There are no defined categories for natural food additives, while the most researched natural additives are antioxidants, antimicrobials, colorants, and sweeteners.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are mainly used in food to prevent off-flavors by oxidation of fats, therefore halting their peroxidation in the initiation or propagation phases.

Antimicrobials

Natural antimicrobials can guarantee that the food is free of microorganisms and safe to eat. They mainly derived from three sources, microorganisms, animals and plants.

Colorants

Colorants are used in food to make it feel more appealing and appetizing. Most natural colorants are derived from plant tissues.

Sweeteners

Sweeteners are additives to make foodstuffs more appetizing and appealing to consumers. Natural sweeteners can deliver a sweet taste while contributing with less or no calories at all to the diet.

Natural additives along with the foods or foodstuffs they are used in, are represented in the following table ^[1].

Type	Additive	Foodstuffs
Antioxidants	Carnosic acid	Oils, Animal fats, Sauces, Bakery wares, Meat, Fish
	Ferulic acid	Gels, Edible films
	Catechin	Encapsulation
	Ascorbic acid	Lipids, Oils
	β-carotene	Bakes goods, Eggs, Dairy products
	Tocopherols	Films, Coatings, Bacon, Meat, Dairy products, Oils
Antimicrobials	Nisin	Coatings, Films, Dairy products, Beverages, Eggs, Meat
	Pediocin	Ham, Dairy products
	Natamycin	Encapsulation, Films, Cheese, Beverages
	Reuterin	Cheese, Sausages, Salmon, Cottage cheese
	Poly-L-Lysine	Sushi, Rice, Noodles, Vegetables, Soups, Salads, Steamed cakes, Custard creams
	Lactoperoxidase	Milk, Fruit juices, Coatings
	Lactoferrin	Baby formulas, Meat
	Essential oils	Meat, Fish, Dairy products, Vegetables, Rice, Fruit
Colorants	Annatto	Cakes, Biscuits, Rice, Dairy products, Flour, Soft drinks, Snacks, Meat products
	Carotenoids	Sauces, Marinades, Spice blends, Coatings, Beverages, Milk
	Anthocyanins	Soft drinks, Confectionary, Fruit preparations
	Chlorophylls	Dairy products, Soups, Drinks, Sugar confections
	Curcumin	Mustard, Yoghurt, Baked goods, Dairy products, Ice creams, Salad dressings
	Carminic acid	Jams, Gelatins, Baked goods, Dairy products, Non-carbonated drinks
Sweeteners	Erythritol	Baked goods, Coatings, Frostings, Fermented milk, Chocolate, Low calorie beverages, Candy, Chewing gums
	Tagatose	Cereals, Beverages, Yoghurts, Frostings, Chewing gum, Chocolate, Fudge, Caramel, Fondant, Ice cream
	Steviol glycosides	Beverages, Dairy products, Ice cream, Frozen desserts, Sugar-free confectionary, Mints, Dried sea foods, Sauces
	Glycyrrhizin	Baked goods, Frozen dairies, Beverages, Confectionary, Chewing gum
	Thaumatin	Sauces, Soups, Fruit juices, Poultry, Egg products, Chewing gum, Processed vegetables

Food Safety Analysis

Food safety analysis is an important procedure to control food contamination and supervision. The earliest food safety detection methods are still by far the most frequently used, which consist of visual inspection, smell, and taste, followed by bioassay through ingestion. With the growing of technology, advanced analysis techniques, such as DNA-based, biomarkers, isotope labeling, liquid chromatography technique coupled with mass spectrometry, near-infrared technology, NMR spectroscopy, metabolomics, proteomics, etc., present an opportunity to assess the safety risks deriving from pathogens and from the undeclared introduction of any food ingredient that might be harmful to human health.

Alfa Chemistry is a professional supplier of natural food additives. For high quality products, professional technical service, use suggestion and latest industry news, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

Márcio Carocho, Patricia Morales, Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira. Natural food additives: Quo vadis? Trends in Food Science & Technology, 2015, 45(2):284-295.