Food Additives Analysis: Safety and Quality Assessment

What are Food Additives? Classification According to Their Uses...

What is a Food Additive?

Food additives are substances that cannot be consumed as food on their own, have no nutritional value on their own, and are used to protect, correct or prevent and correct unwanted changes in the taste, smell, appearance, structure and other qualities of the foodstuff during the production, classification, processing, preparation, packaging, transportation and storage of food.

Food additives; It can be obtained naturally, such as red colorant obtained from beets, or artificially, such as saccharin, which is not found in nature. Each food additive is expressed by a code number determined by the European Union. With this code system, known as E code, additives are classified according to their functions.

Classification of Food Additives and E Codes

• Colorants E 100 - 181
• Preservatives E 200 - 252
• Acids : E260 - 297 and E322 - 385
• Antioxidants :E 300 - 321
• Emulsifying salts: E 331 - 332, E 450 - 452
• Emulsifiers (Stabilizers): E 420 - 495
• Moisture traps E 420 - 422
• Gelling agents (thickeners): E 400 - 418
• Acidity regulators E 500 - 529
• Hardeners E 509
• Anti-caking agents E 535 - 536, E 551 - 559
• Release agents, chelates or embossers: E 530 - 585
• Aroma and flavor enhancers: E 620 - 640
• Anti-foaming agents: E 900 - 914
• Brightening and coating agents: E 900 - 914
• Flour processing agents: E 300, E 920 - 928
• Propellants (Packaging gases): E 938 - 949
• Sweeteners E 950 - 967
• Enzymes E 1100 -1105
• Volumizers E1200
• Modified starch E 1404 - 1450

Methods of Analysis of Food Additives

Various analysis methods are applied to ensure the correct and safe use of food additives. These analyzes ensure that the correct amounts of additives and their compliance with quality standards are checked.

Chemical Analyses:

• Spectrophotometric Methods: Used for the detection of colorants and preservatives. For example, UV-VIS spectrophotometry is used for tartrazine.
• HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography): Widely used for the analysis of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and other flavorings.
• GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry): Used for the analysis of aromatic additives and some preservatives.
• Titration Methods: Titration is used to determine the amount of acid-regulating additives.

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA): Can be used to quickly and reliably detect the presence of allergens and contaminants in additives. For example, ELISA tests can be applied for preservatives such as sodium benzoate.

Optical Methods: Used to study the chemical structure of additives. The chemical composition of colorants is analyzed by spectroscopic techniques.

Mass Spectrometry (MS): A technique used to verify and analyze the chemical composition of food additives.

Nanolab Laboratories Group continues to provide services within the scope of Food Additives Analysis. We also provide services in Counterfeit and Adulteration Analysis.

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