Food additives, or preservatives, are things added to foods that preserve appearance, reduce foodborne illness, and make transportation of products easier. FDA regulations are placed on additives to only allow a certain amount to be added to foods and clear rules on how they must be on food labels.
pH Control Agents
Ingredients that help with keeping foods alkalinity or acidity. These can change taste, texture, and safety of the food. The most common agents that are found in jams, candies, gelatins, and even ice cream are citric acid, sodium citrate, and acetic acid. Adipic acid is used in fruit drinks and lactic acid is used in cheese making.
Anti-caking Agents
Used in the prevention of sticking, lumping, or caking, anti-caking agents are added to ingredients like sugar products, flour, powdered milk, baking and egg mixes. Some of the additives include stearic acid, silicon dioxide, and calcium phosphate.
Emulsifiers
An emulsifier is used as a binder and keeps oil and water mixed. Eggs and soybeans contain lecithin which is a common emulsifier in the food supply. Products such as mayonnaise, vinaigrettes, and milk are emulsion foods. Emulsifiers, such as sodium stearyl lactylate, are used in dried, liquid or frozen egg whites and commercial bread doughs.
Humectants
Honey, glycerin, and sugar polyols are added to keep foods moist. Polyols are low-calorie sweeteners that are used in candies, low-calorie foods, and sugar-free gum.
Stabilizers, Thickeners, and Gelling Agents
These additives help with the stability and texture of the food product by reducing the settling of ingredients, separation of emulsions, and ice crystal formation. There are many kinds of thickeners such as arrowroot, guar, collagen, agar-agar, xanthan gum.
Leavening Agent
Ingredients such as yeast, buttermilk, and baking powder are added to batters and doughs and help increase volume while adding to the texture of the product. Leavening agents are found in baked goods such as biscuits, cookies, and muffins.
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