Food additives

Examples of use and possible alternatives

Jörg Knipp, Karin Schwarz, Kiel

Our food products are unthinkable without additives which, in fact, frequently render the high degree of convenience possible. Consumers, on the other hand, today want “less chemicals in food”, but still do not wish to do without the advantages involved.

In many fields “E numbers” may be replaced by alternatives without distinct losses in quality. In many cases, however, the “perfect product” is only achieved by the use of compounds subject to declaration. A change in thinking on all levels could reduce the number of additives used. Additives are subject to strict legal regulations which are regularly adapted to the present state of scientific knowledge in order to guarantee safety for consumers.

Keywords: food additives, food law, clean labelling, preservatives, colouring agents, antioxidants, emulsifiers, food processing.

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 10/08 ab Seite 608.