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Direct & indirect food additives – How they affect the food we consume
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Wednesday, 14 July, 2021, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Joshna Joseph
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"Food additive" is defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as any substance used to provide a technical effect in foods. The emergence of processed and convenience food has led to the increased usage of the food additives.
Food additives can be natural (salt, sugar) as well as artificial (Sodium benzoate, Nitrates). Food additives are a broad category which includes food preservatives (Increases the shelf life and freshness of the products), food colours (Imparts colour to the food), flavour enhancers(Improves the flavours), Sequesterants (prevents oxidation of fats), humectants (Retains moisture by absorbing moisture from the environment), acidifying agents (Makes the food acidic to prevent the growth of bacterias), anticaking agents (Prevents the clumping of flours, salts and other powdered foods), flavours (enhances the flavour of food), processing aids(additives used during processing and not in the finished product to enhance the quality of food), Emulsifiers (Stabilises the oil and water emulsions), Stabilisers (Prevents separation of 2 phases), leavening agents (helps in rising of the dough), which improves the shelf life, texture, flavour and appearance of the products.
“GRAS” (Generally Recognised As Safe) is the term used to describe additives which are safe to be added in the food. This term was given by the US FDCA. Additives are identified on the food labels by E- numbers or ‘INS’ numbers (International Numbering System).
? E100s are generally colours.
? E200 to E282 are mainly preservatives and acids.
? E300 to E341 are mainly antioxidants and acid regulators.
? E400s include emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, anti-caking agents, release agents and bulking agents.
Preservatives are classified into 2 classes namely- Class I preservatives which includes natural preservatives such as Salt, Sugar, vinegar, oil etc. and Class II preservatives consists of artificial preservatives which includes Sodium benzoate, Propionic acid, Citric acid, Malic acid.
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international committee which evaluates the safety of food additives. JECFA has evaluated more than 1500 food additives.
For the food additive to be approved by FDA, the FDA considers the following points:
1) Composition and properties of the additive.
2) The amount to be consumed.
3) Health effects after consumption.
4) Safety factors.
Whenever a new additive is approved by the FDA, the FDA provides the limit for the usage of the additive as well as information on which food it can be added as well as its effect on the food in which it has been added.
There are two types of food additives :
a) Direct food additives - These food additives are intentionally added to the food to improve the quality, shelf life, flavour, appearance or texture of the food. The quantity of these additives to be added in the food is given in the FSSAI regulations. Wherever the limit is mentioned as ‘GMP’ it means that there is no limit for the additives and the manufacturers can add the additive according to their requirements. For eg: Sodium benzoate, Silicon dioxide etc. there is very less chance of these additives to be unsafe for human consumption as these are GRAS approved preservatives which are approved by the FDA. If these additives are used above the limits mentioned by FDA or FSSAI then there is a possibility of additive toxicity to humans.
a i) Secondary Direct food additives - These are a type of additives which are added to the food during processing but are removed from the food after the processing is complete, for eg: processing aids. There is a slight possibility of some residues of the food additive which can remain in the final product which may or may not be harmful depending upon the type and quantity of additives used.
b) Indirect food additives - These food additives get in the food unintentionally during the processing, packaging, holding or when the food comes into contact with the food contact surfaces which have the traces of these additives. Therefore, only certified food grade packaging materials are allowed for packing of any foodstuff and also for the exclusion of indirect food additives proper GMP and GHP should be maintained. For eg: Adhesives, chemicals leaching from the packaging materials etc. Indirect food additives can be toxic if consumed by humans therefore care must be taken to avoid the leaching of such chemicals in the food materials during processing or packaging.
Effects and Examples of indirect food additives:
Plastic consists of its polymer, plasticisers, antistatic agents, stabilisers and antioxidants which can migrate into the food. Most toxic components are vinyl chloride and styrene. These are mostly used in preparing plastic bottles for drinking water and cooking oils. These can leach into fat as well as water. Vinyl chloride is considered as a liver carcinogen in many researches conducted. Effects of styrene include renal and hepatic damage, pulmonary edema, and cardiac arrhythmia.
It should be noted that direct additives are added intentionally to the food and are mentioned on the label pack of the product whereas indirect additives are unintentionally added in the food and can be harmful if consumed.
Therefore care must be taken while handling an additive and other hazards in the food processing plant. A risk analysis would help in identification of such hazards.
(The author is research and development manager at Soch Foods LLP)
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