Food additive

A food additive is a substance (either natural or artificial) which is not a foodstuff in itself by which is added to food for some technological reason: exact legal definitions differ between countries. Food additives may serve a wide variety of purposes, of which colourings and preservatives are among the best known.

Numbering

In many countries, but not normally in the United States, food additives are identified by numbers as well as (or even instead of) by name. The International Numbering System (INS) is maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). An equivalent system is in use in the European Union, where the INS numbers are prefixed by the letter E: this has led to the colloquial term "E numbers" to refer to food additives in general.

The INS groups additives roughly according to their classification, although this is not always possible: some additives have more than one use and, in any case, almost all of the three-figure numbers in the INS has been used up, so new additives may have to be numbered outside their normal range.

Classification

Food additives are classified according to their functional class, which may be divided into subclasses. The most common scheme is that used by the FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission, which has been adopted by many individual countries.

Functional class	INS range	Function	Subclasses
Colour	100–199	adds or restores colour in a food	colour, decorative pigment, surface colourant
Preservative	200–299	prolongs the shelflife of a food by protecting against deterioration caused by microorganisms	preservative, antimicrobial preservative, antimycotic agent, bacteriophage control agent, fungistatic agent, antimould and antirope agent, antimicrobial synergist
Bleaching agent	223	used to decolourize food (not including pigments)
Carbonating agent	290	used to provide carbonation in a food
Antioxidant	300–319	prolongs the shelflife of foods by protecting against deterioration caused by oxidation	antioxidant, antioxidant synergist, antibrowning agent
Acidity regulator	320–399 500–549	controls the acidity or alkalinity of a food	acidity regulator, acid, acidifier, alkali, base, buffer, buffering agent, pH adjusting agent
Thickener	400–429	increases the viscosity of a food	thickener, bodying agent, binder, texturizing agent
Stabilizer	430–499	additive that makes it possible to maintain a uniform dispersion of two or more components	stabilizer, foam stabilizer, colloidal stabilizer, emulsion stabilizer
Emulsifier	430–499	forms or maintains a uniform emulsion of two or more phases in a food	emulsifier, plasticizer, dispersing agent, surface active agent, crystallization inhibitor, density adjustment (flavouring oils in beverages), suspension agent, clouding agent
Emulsifying salt	430–499	additive, which, in the manufacture of processed food, rearranges proteins in order to prevent fat separation	emulsifying salt, melding salt
Anticaking agent	500–599	reduces the tendency of components of food to adhere to one another	anticaking agent, anti-stick agent, drying agent, dusting agent
Firming agent	510–580	makes or keeps tissues of fruit or vegetables firm and crisp, or interacts with gelling agents to produce or strengthen a gel
Flavour enhancer	600–699	enhances the existing taste and/or odour of a food	flavour enhancer, flavour synergist
Glazing agent	900–915	additive that, when applied to the external surface of a food, imparts a shiny appearance or provides a protective coating	glazing agent, sealing agent, coating agent, surface-finishing agent, polishing agent, film-forming agent
Flour treatment agent	916–930	additive that is added to flour or dough to improve its baking quality or colour	flour treatment agent, flour bleaching agent, flour improver, dough conditioner, dough strengthening agent
Propellant	940–949	additive gas that expels a food from a container
Packaging gas	940–949	additive gas that is introduced into a container before, during or after filling with food with the intention to protect the food, for example, from oxidation or spoilage
Sweetener	950–968	imparts a sweet taste to a food (other than a mono- or disaccharide sugar)	sweetener, intense sweetener, bulk sweetener
Foaming agent		additive that makes it possible to form or maintain a uniform dispersion of a gaseous phase in a liquid or solid food	foaming agent, whipping agent, aerating agent
Antifoaming agent		prevents or reduces foaming	antifoaming agent, defoaming agent
Bulking agent		contributes to the bulk of a food without contributing significantly to its available energy value	bulking agent, filler
Carrier		used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function (and without exerting any technological effect itself) in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient	carrier, carrier solvent, nutrient carrier, diluent for other food additives, encapsulating agent
Colour retention agent		stabilizes, retains or intensifies the colour of a food	colour retention agent, colour fixative, colour stabilizer, colour adjunct
Gelling agent		gives a food texture through formation of a gel
Humectant		prevents food from drying out by counteracting the effect of a dry atmosphere	humectant, moisture-retention agent, wetting agent
Raising agent		liberates gas and thereby increases the volume of a dough or batter
Sequestrant		controls the availability of a cation

Regulation

Food additives are regulated by law in most indutrialised and many developing countries. The United Nations specialised agencies have no direct role in regulation, although they do publish recommendations and other scientific studies.

• FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission
• FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
• International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)

Depending on the country, food additive regulations usually specify

• which additives are permitted, and/or under what circumstances food additives are permitted;
• which foodstuff may contain which additives: it is common, indeed usual, for different rules to apply to different foodstuffs;
• the maximum quantity of an additive which may be used in a given foodstuff: again, this may vary between foodstuffs;
• any labelling requirements to inform consumers of the presence of food additives.

European Union

The European Union is responsible for the authorisation of food additives within the European Economic Area (the 27 EU members states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The relevant legislation has been consolidated into the Food Additives Regulation (1333/2008), which came into force on 20 January 2010.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code

United States

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (FD&C Act)

External links

• Codex Alimentarius Commission
  • Class Names and the International Numbering System for Food Additives (CAC/GL 36)
  • List of Codex Specifications for Food Additives (CAC/MISC 6)
  • Guidelines for Simple Evaluation of Food Additive Intake (CAC/GL/3)
• FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
  • JECFA Monographs and Evaluations
  • Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications (searchable database)
• IPCS Environmental Health Criteria 70: Principles for the Safety Assessment of Food Additives and Contaminants in Food
• European Commission: Food additives and flavourings
  • UK Food Standards Agency
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand
  • Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Listing of Food Additive Status Part I
  • Everything Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS) (searchable database)
• Health Canada: Food Additives
  • Food Additives Permitted for Use in Canada