NordenBladet – Nowadays when the choice of food products in stores is broad and merchants compete for the market monopoly and will for the sake of survival create so-called eternal products, one should take the time to study, what exactly it is that we eat under the name of food. Several of the food products that are available on the shelves contain dangerous food additives that are toxic for the organism and may cause allergies, cancer, asthma and other ailments.
What are E-additives?
A food additive, in popular use also known as an E-additive, is a natural or a synthetic substance that is added to a food product for a technological purpose. Food additives can for example be used to better preserve the food (preservatives), to attain a desired consistency (stabilizers, gelling agents, emulsifiers), to give the product a more attractive colour (colorings), etc.
E-additives have been grouped according to their main functions. The most used food additive groups in food are the following:
Food colorings (E100 – E199);
Preservatives (E200 – E299);
Antioxidants (E300 – E399);
Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners (E400 – E499).
Extra to the named groups other groups of food additives are also used such as acidity regulators, flour treatment agents, anticaking agents, flavor enhancers, glazing agents, sweeteners, thickeners, gelling agents, packaging, etc (E500 – …).
Are E-additives in food safe?
Regarding risk to health, food additives hold sixth place after food poisoning, unbalanced diet, manufacturing pollutants, the natural toxic ingredients of food substances, and pesticides. This, however, doesn’t indicate that insufficient attention has been paid to them.
Estonia follows the requirements about food additives set by the European Union, the license to use food additives is issued by the National Health Board. Most of the food additives either help better maintain the nutritional value and flavor of the food product, suppress the development of microorganisms or advance the consistency, flavour and/or aroma. There are also such E-additives that are used to make the product appear more attractive to the consumer.
Food additives also include artificial sweeteners, allowing sweet tasting food for people with diabetes and overweight.
Most developed countries require that it is fixed by law which additives and in what volume are allowed in food. These then need to be indicated on the product package.
Try to consume food that does not contain preservatives, some of those are very harmful and can compromise your health!
Unfortunately, preservatives are used even in products that are promptly consumed, i.e. in bread. Some of the oldest preservatives are sodium nitrite (E250) and sodium nitrate (E251).
Nitrites are mostly used in meat products due to their inhibiting effect on the growth of microorganisms. Extra to preserving, their use will give the meat product its typical pink tone and the characteristic taste.
Sadly, the nitrites in food products may result in carcinogenic compounds (the triggers for malignant cancer, i.e. carcinoma). Despite this, the use of nitrites is still allowed, since the antibacterial effect is considered more important than the risk of creating harmful compounds.
Besides nitrites and nitrates (E249-E252) the main harmful preservatives are sorbates (very widely used, sorbic acid E200, sodium sorbate E201, potassium sorbate E202, calcium sorbate E203), benzoates (among the most typical additives that cause side-effects, benzoic acid E210, sodium benzoate E211, potassium benzoate E 212, calcium benzoate E213) and parabens, sulphur dioxide E220 and sulfites E221-E228, biphenyl E230 that is used in processing the skin of the citrus fruit, ortho-phenylphenol (E231), biphenylol (E232) and thiabendazole (E233).
What should we think of food additives?
Food safety is today better guaranteed in developed countries than it was a few decades ago. In every country the health boards compile lists of permissible food additives, these need not always be similar.
Science may guarantee food safety only based on today’s knowledge and the level of analysis methodology. This is not a 100% guarantee. There are quite a few food additives that have been deleted from the list of permissible additives.
Some of the typical food substances may cause allergies. First and foremost, small children tend to have protein allergy, however, hypersensitivity to E-additives is rather rare. Some additives may cause symptoms of hypersensitivity in some people while for others they are safe.
People that are allergic to aspirin, may develop a reaction towards the benzoic acid and sorbic acid. There may be a reaction also towards the benzoic and sorbic acid that is present in cowberries and cranberries. Such hypersensitivity is usually accompanied by allergy to azo dye.
Aspirin, benzoic and sorbic acid and azo dye may cause swelling, breathing difficulties and other health complaints. Sulfites and antioxidants BHA and BHT may cause special allergic reactions, especially people with asthma are sensitive towards sulfites and other sulfur compounds.
Hereby some of the additives are listed that may cause symptoms of hypersensitivity:
Azo dye
E102 Tartrazine
E110 Sunset Yellow
E123 Amaranth
E124 Cochineal Red
E151 Brilliant Black
Preservatives
E200 Sorbic acid
E201 Sodium sorbate
E202 Potassium sorbate
E210 Benzoic acid
E211 Sodium benzoate
E214-219 Hydroxybenzoates
E220-227 Sulfurous acid and sulfites
Antioxidants
E320 Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
E321 Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Photo: Pexels
Source: NordenBladet.ee