Food Additives

Food Additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), salt (salting), smoke (smoking), Msg sugar (crystallization), etc. This allows for longer-lasting Refined Glycerine foods such as bacon, sweets or wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the twentieth century,Titanium Dioxide many additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin. Food additives also include substances that may be introduced to food indirectly Monosodium Glutamate (called "indirect additives") in the manufacturing process, through packaging, or during Gelatin Food Grade storage or transport.

Food additives can be divided into several groups, Sodium Hexametaphosphate although there is some overlap because some additives exert more than one effect. For example, salt is both a preservative as well as Refined Gglycerine 99.5% Food Grade a flavor.

To regulate these additives and inform consumers, each additive is assigned a unique number called an "E number", which is used in Europe for all approved additives. This numbering scheme has now been adopted and extended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to internationally identify all additives,regardless of whether they are approved for use.