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FOOD and NUTRITION

A food additive is any substance that is used in or added to food in order to preserve its quality, taste, colour or any other feature which may be destroyed over a period of time due to preservation (The Food Labelling Regulations, 1980). There are three types of food additives:

Cosmetic food additives
Preservatives
Processing aids of foods (The London Food Commission, 1988).

Commonly used Food Additives
Sugar and salt are the two most commonly used additives in foods and the excess use of the two must be avoided. Other commonly used additives are baking soda, yeast and vanilla.
Reasons for using Food Additives
Additives may be added to foods for several reasons. Not only do they help in increasing the shelf life of foods, they also improve the colour, texture and consistency of several foods, for instance soups not only look better but also taste better with the addition of starches, to enhance the thickness and consistency. In some cases, the additives also improve the nutritional value of the foods, for example, milk is enriched with vitamins and minerals to increase the nutritional content. It is crucial to preserve the foods for later use, if they are not consumed immediately. There are certain additives that do augment the quality of food, but the presence of some chemical additives and colours to food, not only reduces the nutritional content, and in some cases causes several side-effects which to the human body…

Tartrazine is a colorant that is commonly used in the manufacture of soft drinks and has been a constant cause of debate for its intolerance in several cases (Miller, 1985; Levy, Dumbrell, Hobbes, Ryan et al, 1978; Smith, 1991; Weiss, 1984). Exposure to Tartrazine is likely to cause severe asthmatic reactions (Freedman, 1977), rhinitis, urticaria (Juhlin, 1981) and hyperactivity among children (Feingold, 1981). The additive commonly used in flour, curcumin, has been known to cause severe problems related to thyroid…