Topic 3: Part I

Question 1

Food additives

Answer 1

substances added to food intentionally or by accident that become part of the food and affect its characteristics

Question 2

are food additives intentional or accidental?

Answer 2

most food additives are done purposely (sugar, colour, salt, baking soda, etc.)
others are contaminants that are accidentally introduced (production, processing, or packaging process)

Question 3

how long have food additives been used?

Answer 3

1000 of year

Question 4

purpose of food additives

Answer 4

provide leavening (bread rising) or control acidity/alkalinity

• to enhance flavour or impart desired colour
• to improve or maintain nutritional quality of foods
• to maintain product consistency
• to maintain palatability and wholesomeness

Question 5

Not included as food additive

Answer 5

• agricultural chemicals/residues
• food packaging material itself
• veterinary drugs

Question 6

are food additives a bad thing?

Answer 6

no, they are not always a bad thing. they can be, but sometimes they are useful.

Question 7

4 regulations governing additives

Answer 7

under the food and drugs act, what can be used in order to protect the safety of Canadians?

1. purpose
2. additives that can be used for that purpose
3. the foods in which they are permitted
4. the amount that is permitted

Question 8

3 criteria for food additives

Answer 8

1. has to be safe for continued use (if people will consume the same food product often, we must be sure that the accumulation of this in our bodies will not reach harmful levels)
2. must not lead to deception (the consumer should know why its added ex. used as a preservative)
3. must be an advantage to consumer (has to be a solid reason as to why using this preservative provides an advantage to the consumer)

Question 9

the Ames test

Answer 9

• carcinogenic (how likely an ingredient is to cause cancer) and mutagenic studies (can it cause mutations in our DNA?)

Question 10

direct food additives #1 Anticaking agents

Answer 10

• absorb moisture and in the process prevent foods from getting wet
• used in table salt, baking powder and other powdered food products
• ex. calcium silicate,amonium nitrate, magnesium

Question 11

direct food additives #2 Antioxidants

Answer 11

• prevent rancidity (without antioxidants, salad dressings will go rancid very quickly
• prevent discolouration of foods
• examples, vitamin C, sulphites, butylated hydroxyanoisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), cereal “added for freshness”

Question 12

direct food additives #3 Emulsifiers

Answer 12

• facilitates distribution and suspension of fat in water or vice versa
• used in the manufacture of chocolates, margarine, cake mixes, potato chips salad dressings
• examples: monoglyceride, diglycerides, lecithin

Question 13

direct food additives #4 Humectants

Answer 13

• help retain proper moisture, flavour and texture of foods
• used in candies, shredded coconut and marshmallows
• examples: glycerol, propylene, glycol, sorbitol

Question 14

direct food additives #5 Antimicrobial agents

Answer 14

• preservatives that prevent microorganisms from growing
• sugar and salt are the most widely used
• historically used to preserve meat and fish
• sugar is also used in canned/frozen fruits and jams
• examples: potassium sorbet, calcium or sodium propionate are used to extend the shelf life of baked goods, cheeses, beverages, mayonnaise, margarine

Question 15

Nitrates and nitrites are used to…

Answer 15

• preserve colour (especially the pink colour of hotdogs)
• prevent the growth of bacteria (especially the bacteria that produces the deadly BOTULINUM toxin
• impart a desirable “cured” flavour

Question 16

what can nitrates and nitrites be converted to?

Answer 16

they can be converted into the carcinogen, “nitrosamine”

cancer causing

Question 17

Flavour enhancers

Answer 17

used to enhance flavour of foods

Question 18

Examples of flavour enhancers

Answer 18

• monosodium glutamate (MSG)

- hydrolyzed vegetable proteins (HVP)

Question 19

MSG impacts the..

Answer 19

umami to foods (savoury)

Question 20

In Canada MSG is considered an ..

Answer 20

ingredient not an additive so it must be declared on label

Question 21

MSD is not allows in food designed for..

Answer 21

infants

Question 22

MSG is non toxic in humans but there are 2 adverse responses attributed to its consumption in 1-2 percent of population

Answer 22

• allergy but still unproven

- MSG symptom complex

Question 23

MSG symptom complex

Answer 23

• symptoms: flushing, burning sensation, headaches, nausea

- also called Chinese restaurant symptoms

Question 24

Thickening and stabilizing agents may be added to food to maintain..

Answer 24

emulsions, foams or to lend a desirable consistency to foods.

Question 25

Examples of texture and stability agents

Answer 25

- dextrin - starch - pectin - gums (carrageenan, guar, locust bean agar, gum Arabica)

Question 26

Gum arabica

Answer 26

major stabilizer in carbonated beverages like Coke and Pepsi

Question 27

Nutrient additives added to..

Answer 27

fortify or maintains nutritional quality of foods. "enrichment"

Question 28

Examples of nutrient additives

Answer 28

- iodine added to salt - vitamins A and D added to milk - folic acid and other B vitamins to breakfast cereal

Question 29

Food colours

Answer 29

-colour additives are used to make foods attractive and identify flavours

Question 30

Artificial color additives (derived from coal tar/petroleum) include

Answer 30

- Blue (brilliant blue and indigotine) - Green (fast green) - Red (allura red and erythrosine) - Yellow (tartrazine and sunset yellow)

Question 31

Natural color additives include ..

Answer 31

- caramel that tints the colour of Coke and baked goods - vegetable colors (carotenoids that color margarine, cheeses and pastas) - cochineal (or carmine) to give red colouring

Question 32

Indirect (incidental) food additives

Answer 32

find their way into foods during harvesting, production, processing, storage, or packaging

Question 33

Indirect (incidental) food additives #1

Answer 33

- dioxins: compounds formed during chlorine treatment of wood pulp during paper manufacture - found in coffee filters, milk cartons, paper plates, frozen packages

Question 34

Contamination occurs only in trace quantities such levels appear..

Answer 34

to pose no health risk to humans

Question 35

Because dioxin is highly toxic and is known to cause cancer in animals the paper industry has..

Answer 35

reduced its use of chlorine to cut the level of dioxin in paper products

Question 36

Indirect (incidental) food additives #2 Methlylene chloride

Answer 36

- used to remove caffeine in production of decaffeinated tea or coffee - traced are left in decaffeinated product (steam decaffeinated coffee contains no methylene)

Question 37

An average cup of coffee contains ...

Answer 37

0.1 parts per million which poses no significant health hazard

Question 38

Indirect (incidental) food additives #3 Chemical leached from plastic containers when used inappropriately

Answer 38

E.g. using a margarine tub to store leftover food, and then heating in the microwave. When heated, particles from the tub can migrate into the food. Make sure that you check your containers to ensure that the are microwave safe before using them in microwaves

Question 39

Indirect (incidental) food additives #4 BPA

Answer 39

refer to part E; non bacterial food notes