How food additives are extending the shelf-life of food products

Janifha Evangeline

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According to a recent study, over eighty-five per cent of packaged foods consist of artificial additives. And, these are chemicals that are mainly used with an aim of not only improving the taste but also the appearance & the shelf life of foods. These are connected to diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many others. By utilizing this opportunity, several brands today have come up with the mission of promoting as well as delivering natural & healthy food.

“Change in all forms has a great impact on our daily lives including the change involving the usage of innovative products in cooking and baking. Usage of food additives is one such trend that has witnessed rapid growth during the last few years,” says Khyal Jani, COO, Bexter.

While preservatives can slow down the process of decomposition that is caused by bacteria, air or mould, it is important to maintain the food quality. And, this is where food additives play a major role. They help in controlling contamination which can lead to foodborne illness, which also includes life-threatening botulism.

How are food additives approved

Today, food & colour additives are more strictly studied and regulated as well. The food and Drug Administration has the legal responsibility to determine their safe use. A manufacturer/sponsor should first petition Food and Drug Administration for its approval in order to market a new food or even a colour additive even prior to using an additive approved for one use in another manner and not yet approved.

These petitions should give evidence that the particular substance is safe to use for the ways in which it will be utilized.

Evaluating the health risk of food additives

World Health Organization, in cooperation with the FAO of the UN, is responsible for determining the risks to human health that originate from food additives. The joint Food Association Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee conducts risk assessment on Food Additives.

And finally, only the food additives which undergo a JECFA safety assessment the result shows that it is not present an appreciable health risk to consumers, can be used. This is applicable to all food additives when it comes from a natural source or even synthetic.

Depending upon the JECFA assessment/national assessment national authorities can authorize the implementation of food additives at certain levels for particular types of foods. The initial point for finding out whether a food additive can be used without having harmful effects is by establishing ADI.

Some of the most important types of food additives include natural food additives, natural sweeteners, natural truffle-flavoured additives, and many others.

Natural Food additives

Additives not only impact the taste, but also the most important factors such as shelf-life, & aesthetics of it. However, in recent studies, it was found that synthetic additives have an adverse effect on the body, like impacting the respiratory as well as cardiovascular systems. Therefore, as a consequence consumers look for natural additives which would have a very minor impact on their health and to meet the needs of the millennials, companies provide natural additives.

Samskara Tribe offers consumers natural food additives& its portfolio comprises a wide range of products, such as beetroot powder, banana powder & cacao powder which help in increasing the nutritional value of foods. Furthermore, all product offered by the company is gluten-free, sugar-free, non-GMO, & vegan.

Natural Sweeteners

These act as substitutes for sugar. Bio Basics – an Indian startup renders a natural jaggery powder which can be used as a sugar alternative.

Natural Truffle flavored additive

Artificial flavours change the structure of the chemical for improving the flavour of natural ingredients. And this happens at the cost of deducting the nutritional value of the food that is consumed. It is done through several processes such as heating, filtering etc.

Nectariss offers single-origin natural truffle essence. The Swiss startup does this by utilizing its patented technology. The company starts extracting white truffle essence from several local truffles and produces different oil essences which are incorporated into the truffle essence in coconut as well as olive oil variants.

Spirulina Additives

Although food colouring agents don’t supplement the nutritional value of the food, they can induce side effects that are undesired. But, making use of natural ingredients leads to both colours as well as nutrition in the food. Owing to this, startups provide food colouring agents which appease both aesthetic as well as nutritional requirements.

SpirulinaNord – a Latvian startup that offers spirulina as a natural food additive and its portfolio comprises frozen fresh spirulina, spirulina jelly& many others.

The road ahead

Over the past few years, the advancements in technology specifically in the food sector as well as the changing expectations of consumers have resulted in the widespread & diverse use of additives. Therefore, consumers today have started to demand not just tasty but also safe, &non-perishable food. It would really not be easy for meeting the demands of consumer choices without additives.