A food additive is any chemical added to food that is either supposed to preserve or enhance its flavor. Here's a listing of some of the types of food additives.
Flavorings - designed to give foods a more "acceptable " taste
Stabilizers/Gelling Agents/Thickener -designed to keep foods in a "set state", ie: jams, jellies, baby food
Colorings -designed to make food more appealing to consumer - 90% do not contain any flavor or nutritional value.
Sweeteners -designed to make foods more palatable>
Aroma Enhancers -designed to enhance the odors of foods
Preservatives -designed to maintain freshness and prevent spoilage. Extends shelf life and protects the foods natural colors
Acids/Bases - designed to provide foods with a tart flavor, used in pickling
Antioxidants - designed to reduce the rancidity in fats and oils
Taste Enhancers -designed to bring out flavors in certain foods -see MSG
Humectants - designed to control the humidity of a food
Anti -Caking Agents - designed to keep salt and any powders free flowing
Firming/Crisping Agents - designed for use in processed fruits and vegetables
Foaming Agents - designed for use in whipping creams
Emulsifiers -designed to help evenly mix small particles of one liquid with another.
Here's a listing of some of the more prevalent (popular?) food additives in use today
Beta Carotene ( a precursor to vitamin A)
A natural substance found in all plants and animals. Has a yellowish-orange color and is especially prevalent in carrots and squash. Also used a coloring agent in other foods and cosmetics.
Bromelin
>
Extracted from pineapples and used in meat tenderizers. Very good as a protein digesting enzyme. As a matter of fact, if you let a piece of meat sit in bromelin for an extended period, you'd be able to drink it!!!!
Citrate Salts
Used mostly in cheese spreads and pasteurized processsed cheeses. Has been described as masking lab results for pancreatic and liver functions.
Citrus Red #2
Recently discontinued but was used for coloring Florida oranges. The dye remained in the peel and did not enter the pulp...Good thing, if one was to injest this baby in quantity, research shows that they might experience some serious visual, circulatory and urinary system problems.
Colorings
Lovely, most of the colorings that were used were derived from coal tars. Another word is carcinogen. As time goes on, more and more of these are being tested and subsequently banned.
Gelatin
Derived from boiling the skin, muscle and hoofs of animals. Mainly used a thickener and stabilzer for fruit gelatins (read Jello). Rumored to help strengthen, yes that's right.....fingernails.
Methylene Chloride
Actually a gas used in the decaffeination process for coffee. Some residue may remain in the final product. As luck would have it, coffee companies do not have to disclose the method they used in the decaffeination process.
MSG
Alias, monosodium glutamate. Has no taste on its own but instead has the ability to bring out the natural flavors of other foods as well as helping foods blend better with each other. How it does this, I'll leave to the more chemically inclined branch of noders. All I know is that it gives me headaches after consuming it in Chinese food.
Nitrites/Nitrates
Discovered to be one of the most dangerous additives used in foods. Found in almost all processed meats such as luncheon meats, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, smoked fish and canned meats. The food industry claims that they are mainly used for cosmetic purposes, to retard bacterial growth and reduce the risk of botulism
Sorbitol
Extracted from berries and some fruits. It is an alcohol that usually produces a sweet taste and is used mostly in dietetic products as a replacement for sugar. Is also used as a food binder, thickener, texturing agent, humectant and food stabilzer.
Sulfites
Used as an anti-browning agent. Three of the more common are sodium, potassium and ammoniom. Can be used on most any food except meats or food with a high vitamin B content. Used in salad bars to prevent fruits and lettuce from browning and to enhance crispness. Research that sulfites might be responsible for some acute asthmatic attacks.
Sulpher Dioxide
Formed in the buring of sulpher. Basically a food bleach, preservative, anti oxidant and anti browning agent. Tends to destroy vitamin A and should not be used on meats or veggies with a high vitamin A content.