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Copyright 2012
This work is the property of Unilever South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
This work is protected under the Berne Convention. In terms
of the Copyright Act 98 of 1998, no part of this work may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording
or by any information storage and retrieval system without
permission in writing from Unilever South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that
the information published in this work is accurate,
Unilever South Africa (Pty) Ltd, the editors, publishers
and printers take no responsibility for any loss or
damage suffered by any person as a result of the
reliance upon the information contained therein.
Food ingredients
and additives
Every day you use several types of ingredients to craft
your menus and prepare your dishes. Ingredient lists
provide useful information about whats in your food.
Some ingredients are well known, such as tomato,
others are not.
This chapter helps you to understand the different
ingredients mentioned on food labels, particularly
focusing on the unfamiliar ones, and making it easier to:
Understand what they are, why they are used in foods
and how they are regulated for safe use.
Answer guest questions about food ingredients in the
dishes and menus you serve in your establishment.
Comply with local legislation.
25
Food ingredients
With a few exceptions,* all pre-packed foods must be labelled
with their ingredients. The ingredient list can be found after
the word ingredients on the product label and lists all
ingredients in descending order of their weight. Some
ingredients which characterize a food are also given with
the percentage. This allows comparison of foods from
different manufacturers so that consumers can make
an informed choice.
*Example: Foods consisting of only 1 ingredient, for example
black tea, do not need to give a list of ingredients.
Ingredients: Maltodextrin,
flavouring, corn flour, sugar,
starch, hydrolysed vegetable
protein, salt, flavour enhancers
(E631, E627, E920), onion powder,
vegetable oil (palm fruit)(contains
antioxidant TBHQ), colourant
(E150d), thickener (E412), garlic
powder, yeast extract.
26
Ingredient list
The ingredient list shows any
ingredient in the food, including
added water, food additives and
compound ingredients (those
ingredients that are themselves
made up of two or more
ingredients, e.g. sausages), in
descending order of their weight.
27
28
Ingredient
Description
Can be found in
Allspice
Meat, stews,
sauces, olives.
Amylose
Baked goods,
bread, chips.
Caffeine or
Guaranine
Coffee, cola,
energy drinks,
chocolate,
black tea, ice tea.
Casein
Cheese, quark,
products
containing
cheese, cheese
flavours.
Dextrose/
Glucose
Fruit, honey,
candy, baked
goods, soft drinks.
Gelatin
Desserts,
marshmallows,
confectionery,
dairy products
and many others.
Glucose syrup
Confectionery,
candy, baked
goods, jams.
Gluten
Bread, biscuits,
baked goods,
pasta, soups,
sauces.
High fructose
corn syrup
(HFCS)
Bread, baked
goods, breakfast
cereals, candy,
soft drinks.
Description
Can be found in
Hydrolysed
vegetable
protein
Invert sugar
Candy, baked
goods, some
syrup.
Lactose
Dairy products,
baked goods.
Maltodextrin
Pudding powder,
coffee creamer,
candy and many
others.
Maltose
Modified
starch
Baked goods,
snacks, pudding,
soups, pie filling.
Saccharose/
Sucrose
Sodium
chloride
Meat, ready-to-eat
meals, soups,
sauces, bread,
baked goods,
savoury snacks.
Whey protein
Light products,
cookies, chocolate
products, baby
nutrition.
Yeast extract
Gravy, stock,
ready to eat
meals, savoury
snacks, soups,
sauces.
29
Additives
What are food additives?
Food additives are ingredients that are added to
foods to serve a specific function. Some additives
make the food taste better or sweeter (flavours,
flavour enhancers and sweeteners) or give colour
to the product (colours). Other additives make
the product thicker (thickeners) or prevent the
food from spoiling (preservatives).
Some food additives may have unfamiliar names
that sound complex and even chemical. But all
foods, even completely natural ones, consist of
chemical compounds that are found in nature.
30
31
32
Whats an E-number?
An E-number signifies approval of an
additive by the European Union (EU). To
obtain an E-number, the additive must
have been fully evaluated for safety by
the European Food Safety Authority. The
E-number generally corresponds with
the INS code, but not always.
Good to know
On the product label, food additives are
listed in the ingredient list according
to their function and name or code e.g.
Thickener (pectin) or Thickener (E440).
33
34
35
36
Acids/Acidity regulators
Acids increase the acidity of products and/or add a sour taste.
What do they do?
Citric acid is used in soft drinks, teas, juices, and other beverages
to create a slightly sour, refreshing flavour and balance sweetness.
Lactic acid can be used in dressings and salads to regulate the
acidity which is important for food safety.
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Citric acid (E330), lactic acid (E270), acetic acid (E260), malic acid
(E296), ammonium hydroxide (E527), sodium acetates (E262),
calcium acetate (E263).
Anti-caking agents
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
37
Antioxidants
React with oxygen in the air and prevent the oxidation of different
food components. This prevents undesirable colour changes (e.g.
browning), off-odours and off-flavours known as rancidity.
Antioxidants also protect the vitamins in food.
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Bulking agents
38
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Emulsifiers
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Firming agents
What do they do?
Fruit and vegetables taste better when they are crispy. So firming
agents are added to keep the firmness and crispiness.
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Flavour enhancers
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
39
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
40
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Examples of uses
Soup, sauce, jus, custard, jam, frozen desserts, ice cream, dairy
products, pudding, salad dressings, mayonnaise, meat products.
Names found on
product labels
41
Glazing agents
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Humectants
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Preservatives
42
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Propellant gases
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Raising agents
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Sequestrant
What do they do?
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
43
Stabilizers
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
Sweeteners
Provide sweetness to a product.
What do they do?
44
Examples of uses
Names found on
product labels
45
Glossary
Additive
Additives are substances that are
added to foodstuffs for technical
reasons, to improve their quality
or to achieve certain properties
or effects.
Chemical
All foods, living matter and,
indeed, our bodies themselves are
made up of chemicals. Even water
is a chemical. Every substance
has its own specific molecular
composition, also called the
chemical structure. This name is
often confused with a non-natural
process of creating a substance.
But even natural substances have
a chemical name and structure.
For example the chemical name
of vitamin C is ascorbic acid.
E-number
Is a number identifying chemical
compounds which have been
approved as food additives.
E-numbers make it possible
to identify any additive in any
country within the European
Union, regardless of the language
spoken in that country the E
stands for Europe. For example,
E160c denotes the colouring,
paprika extract. Code numbers
use less space on labels than full
names of additives.
EFSA
The European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) is Europes food
safety watchdog. Its task is to
scientifically assess the risks
associated with the food and
animal food chain, helping to
ensure that Europes food is safe.
EFSA plays a key role in the safety
evaluation of food additives.
46
FAO
pH-value
INS code
On a worldwide level, the Codex
Alimentarius, a joint WHO/FAO
organisation, has prepared the
International Numbering System
for Food Additives (INS), which
provides an agreed international
numerical system for identifying
food additives (a system similar to
the E-numbering system in the EU).
Only those additives that have been
evaluated by the JECFA (the Joint
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on
Food Additives) are included.
Pigment
A substance or material used as a
colouring/ used to give colour to a product.
The colouring principles of natural foods
are called pigments.
Salts
Salt is not only the salt you sprinkle over
your food. There are many different salts.
Its a collective name for chemical
compounds containing metals (like
sodium, calcium and magnesium) and
non-metal atoms (like oxygen and
chloride). For example there is magnesium
salt or calcium salt. The salt you sprinkle
over your food is mostly sodium chloride,
a sodium salt.
Synthetic/Artificial
Nature identical
WHO
JECFA
47
FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions by
guests concerning food ingredients and additives.
48
Data sources
The Consumer Protection Act
South African Government Online, 2012. What is
the Consumer protection Act. [Online] http://
www.info.gov.za [Retrieved on 10 October 2012]
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.
do?uri=OJ:L:2008:354:0016:0033:en:PDF
COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1129/2011
of 11 November 2011 amending Annex II
to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European
Parliament and of the Council by establishing
europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.
do?uri=OJ:L:2011:295:0001:0177:En:PDF
Dietary requirements
pdf/A_Guide_To_The_Consumer_Protection_Act.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2012. FoodConsumer Centre Food Allergies. [Online]
December 2012]
20 August 2012]
The Anaphylaxis Campaign, 2012. Food and
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/
jecfa-additives/en [Retrieved 20 August 2012]
October 2011]
edition. 2007
Statistics South Africa. Mid-year population
REGULATION (EC) No 1333/2008 OF THE
publications/P0302/P03022010.pdf [Retrieved
242
Storage
Colorado State University-Extension, 2012.Food
Storage for Safety and Quality. [Online] http://
www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09310.htm
[Retrieved 04 December 2012]
Clemson University Cooperative Extension
Service and Oregonian Food Day, 2012. Food
Storage Chart - Food Storage Guidelines Shelf
Life of Food - Refrigerator & Freezer Storage
Chart. [Online] http://whatscookingamerica.net/
Information/FreezerChart.htm [Retrieved
04 December 2012]
koshercertification.org.uk/whatdoe.html
[Retrieved 4th December 2012]
Nutrition table
The World Health Organisation, 2012. Health
Topics Nutrition. [Online] http://www.who.int
[Retrieved 4th December 2012]
www.helpwithcooking.com/food-storage/
refrigeration-tips.html [Retrieved 04
December 2012]
Center for Foodservice Learning, 2010 2011.
Storing Food Safely - Home Storage Practices.
[Online] http://www.food-safety-and-you.com/
StoringFoodSafety.html [Retrieved 04
December 2012]
04 December 2012]
heartfoundation.co.za [Retrieved 15
[Online] http://www.helpwithcooking.com/
November 2012]
egg-guide/fresh-egg-test.html [Retrieved 04
December 2012]
243
Storage continued...
Answers Corporation, 2012. Is it safe to eat expired
canned food? [Online] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/
Is_it_safe_to_eat_expired_canned_food [Retrieved 04
December 2012]
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2012. Refrigerated
and Freezer Storage. [Online] http://food.unl.edu/
web/safety/refrigerator-freezer. [Retrieved 04
December 2012]
State Government of Victoria, 2012. Food safety
storage. [Online] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Food_safety_storage.
[Retrieved 04 December 2012]
Still Tasty, 2012 . Three ways to defrost food safely.
[Online] http://www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/9.
[Retrieved 05 December 2012]
Favorite Freezer Foods, 2008-2011. Can you
refreeze food that thawed? [Online] http://www.
favoritefreezerfoods.com/refreeze-food.html
[Retrieved 05 December 2012]
State Government of Victoria, 2012. Food safety
when cooking. [Online]. http://www.betterhealth.
vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Food_safety_
when_cooking. [Retrieved
05 December 2012]
CBS Interactive, 2012. How long does fresh
fish keep in the fridge? [Online] http://chowhound.
chow.com/topics/276180
[Retrieved 05 December 2012]
244