Myriad Functions Of Food Additives

The global market for food additives, which has various applications in bakery and confectionary, beverages, dairy and frozen products, sauce and dressings, among others, may surpass 115 billion USD by 2024

- Jyotismita Sharma

Food additives, which refer to the substances added for maintaining or improving the freshness, safety, taste, texture, or appearance of food, have been in use since millennia.

According to the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), a non-profit organisation that provides information on food and health, the Egyptians learned the use colours and flavourings long ago. The Romans also knew how to preserve food and improve their appearance with the use of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), spices and colours. Similarly, many homes across the world have been traditionally using baking powder as raising agents and thickeners for sauces and gravies.

Even our great grand parents knew that adding salt could preserve their dried fish or meats for a long duration. Similarly, the use of other additives, such as sugar in marmalade, or sulfur dioxide in wine, are hardly of recent origin.

What has changed over the years is the scope of application for food additives. Their usage has become more widespread in the post-modern inter-connected economies. The use of food additives has grown by leaps and bounds during the recent times due to various factors, including lifestyle changes, increased popularity of processed food, and higher health consciousness among consumers.

Importance of Additives

To meet the needs of food production, a large variety of food additives has been developed over time. This is largely due to the fact that making food on a large scale is quite different from making them on a small scale at homes.