Under the sign E: a few words about food additives

After studying the composition of your favorite mayonnaise or ketchup, the phrase “Bon appetit!” sounds like a mockery. Judging by the names, modified starch, sodium benzoate and something like E 666 ingredients are clearly inedible. The question arises: why is all this added to our food?

All substances that are specifically introduced into food products to give them certain qualities are called food additives. It is worth noting that these substances can be both synthetic and natural. With the help of food additives, the taste and appearance of the product are regulated and its safety is ensured. In other words, these substances make the product so that we want to buy and eat it.

The manufacturer of the product is required to indicate on the packaging the use of such substances. A food additive may be designated as an individual substance (eg xylitol, lecithin) or as a group substance (eg colorant, stabilizer, emulsifier).

Often, food additives are designated by a special index, which consists of the letter E (Europe) and a three- or four-digit number, which is assigned to a specific additive and is understandable in all countries. This index confirms that the compound has been tested for safety and that standards for its content in products have been established.

Sometimes the manufacturer indicates its concentration next to the index of a food additive (it is customary to indicate mg of the substance per 100 g of product). Also, the packaging must contain information about the content of phenylalanine, because how some people cannot absorb this substance (a condition called phenylketonuria).

If you find the phrase “modified starch” on the packaging, do not panic. This food additive has nothing to do with genetically modified foods.

Modified starch (E1404 - E1450) can be found in paste-like products (mayonnaise, ketchup, creams, dairy desserts, etc.). Before getting into products, starch obtained from plants undergoes special processing (or rather, large starch molecules are crushed into smaller ones). This starch better preserves the paste-like or gel-like consistency of the product.

In addition, modified starch is often used to replace fats, and this makes it possible to reduce the calorie content of the product by almost 2 times, which cannot but please people who are watching their figure. Sometimes the taste of such products suffers, but, as they say, beauty requires sacrifice.

To create a certain consistency, carob gum (E410), guar gum (E412), mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E 471) are also used.

The sweet taste of the product is usually created using regular sugar. But such a sweet supplement is not suitable for everyone, especially people with diabetes and women who are losing weight. Sugar is quite high in calories and contributes to the development of caries. Natural substances sorbitol (E450) and xylitol (E967) are used as its substitutes.

In terms of calorie content, these substances are not inferior to sugar, but the trick is that sorbitol and xylitol are much sweeter than sugar and less of these additives are required to create taste. In addition, xylitol has a positive effect on the condition of teeth and increases the secretion of gastric juice.

Lactose is sometimes added to dairy products (yogurt, kefir, desserts) to improve taste. But it should be taken into account that some people do not have an enzyme in their body that takes part in the absorption of this substance.

Synthetic sweeteners used include aspartame (E951), acetylsulfame (E950), and saccharin (E 954). You should avoid sweet additives such as sucralose (E955), thaumatin (E957), glycerizin (E958), because The safety of these substances has not yet been fully determined.

It is also important that insulin is not needed to absorb both natural and synthetic sugar substitutes, which allows diabetic patients not to give up sweet pleasure.

Extending the shelf life of products (canned meat and fish, sauces, margarine, drinks) is achieved with