Since the advent of modern food processing in the early 20th century, additives have become increasingly common. Modern food additives, especially those used for preservation or processing, have made portable, long-lasting, low-calorie foods ubiquitous. Natural, unprocessed food additives — such as salt, vinegar, oil, and lye — have been used to preserve food and prevent spoilage since ancient times.

Food additives can be broadly classified into one of four main categories: nutritional additives, additives for preservation, additives which aid in processing, and additives which contribute to improved or otherwise altered sensory qualities.

Nutritional Additives

Nutritional additives are used to restore vitamins and other nutritional qualities which may have been lost or degraded during processing. These additives are said to "fortify" or "enrich" food products; for example, fortified (or "iodized") salt contains added iodine to prevent iodine deficiency and goiter, while enriched flour — a very common product found in cosmopolitan markets — is simply flour with additional B vitamins.

(Find food additives by Specification or the Engineering360 Directory of Suppliers.)

Some foods contain nutritional additives which do not function as replacements for lost nutrients. For example, cereals — especially those marketed toward children — contain dozens of added vitamins and minerals to support healthy development. Common nutritional additives include:

Vitamin A - added to cereals and dairy products to prevent vision degeneration

B vitamins - added to flour, cereals, and pasta as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and pyridoxine, among others; preserves skin health, digestion, and neurological functions

Vitamin C - added to sweets, dairy, cereals, and fruit products to prevent scurvy

Vitamin D - added to dairy and cereals for bone and muscle health

Minerals - calcium and iron

Safety

Food additives are tightly regulated by regional and international legislation. Within the European Union, new food additives often take a decade or more after inception to reach store shelves due to mandated approvals. This process includes five years of safety testing, two years of Food Safety Authority evaluation, and up to three years of EU-wide approval.

Despite strict standards in the United States and EU, consumer concerns have risen as food additives become more widespread. Research has shown that certain additives or combinations of additives result in increased risk of child hyperactivity, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and digestive problems. The FD&C colorings listed above have all specifically been linked to tumor growth in rats.

Sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve cured meats, is known to produce carcinogenic agents. This research has led many consumers to actively avoid processed foods containing synthetic additives, and has also resulted in the rise of the organic and all-natural food movements. Despite these extensive tests on animals, there is no scientific consensus as to whether food additives are truly harmful to humans.

On the opposite side of these arguments, additives — especially those used for preservation — increase food safety by discouraging the growth of bacteria and microorganisms. Nutritional additives also allow the addition of vitamins and essential minerals to foods which would not normally contain them.

Click here to read more.