Food Additives - Emulsifiers

Have you ever paid any attention to expressions such as E100, E262 on the food we bought? These expressions are food additives and they are used to add flavor to the product we buy or to delay its deterioration. Harmless additives are major in these substances but there are also suspicious, carcinogenic or dangerous additives. It will be useful to know that the products we buy do not create a hazard in terms of our health.

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Animals (mice) were used to determine if the additives in the foods were safe but animals are not human beings, let's ask them how they feel (Do you have headache?). Also, the results can be very misleading because the animals have different biochemical and genetic structures. In one study people were more susceptible to thalidomide (I mentioned it before), a hundred times more than mice, twenty times more sensitive than monkeys. Another point is that the cocktail effect of these additives is not investigated. As a result of a rare study of two substances, the effects of using sodium sulphite (E221) and benzoic acid (E210) were found to be much more serious when compared to their individual use alone.

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Watch out for that too!

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"No preservatives" on the food does not mean "there is no additive substance". For example, in the ready made soup labeled "No preservatives", there is MSG, a flavor enhancer. Every year over a thousand new chemical additives are present in the food sector, on the shelves and thus in our bodies.

We all now live in a chemical environment with industry, city and soil pollution. Reducing as much as possible the amount of poison that enters our body will make our body and immune system stronger. Of course, a few of the additives consumed will not kill us. But that does not mean that it does not affect our body for a long time.

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EMULSIFIER TRUTH

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Emulsifier is an additive which is added to foods and makes them become stable emulsions.
Emulsifiers are a generic name given to substances that form or maintain a homogeneous mixture of two or more phases, such as oil and water in a food stuff. Emulsifiers (emulsifiers) are hydrophilic molecules, one of which is hydrophilic. It provides a stable, homogenous and lump-free emulsion by mixing the oil and water well (dispersion). Emulsifying additives are used to provide a mixture of substances in the form of liquid and paste that do not disperse within the desired size.

There are two types of Emulsion

Emulsion of water in oil: Butter
Emulsion of oil in water: Milk

There are such materials that they facilitate the formation of an Emulsion or prevent the mixture. Emulsions are made unstable, so they do not form spontaneously. The energy input required to form an emulsion must be provided by rinsing, mixing, spraying and homogenizing.

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Applications of Emulsifiers in Some Sectors

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Bread

It is also possible to make the bread without the emulsifier. But without it, the bread will be dry, low in volume, and easily stale. As little as 0.5% emulsifier added to the roll, it is sufficient to increase the bread volume, to ensure the formation of a soft bread structure and to extend the shelf life.

Chocolate

All chocolate products contain 0.5% lecithin (E322) or ammonium phosphate (E 442). These emulsifiers are added to provide a consistency to the chocolate. Thus, the chocolates can be placed more easily into the mold.

If the chocolate is stored at high temperature, the surface may look dull or white. This makes the product less attractive to the customer and is called blossoming (whitening). Sorbitan tristearate (E 492) may delay the formation of flowering.

Ice Cream

One of the most complex (complicated) products encountered is frozen. It contains both foam and emulsion, ice crystals and non-frozen aqueous mixture.

The emulsifiers are added during freezing to ensure that the ice cream is in a more fluid form and to guarantee the fast melting of the ice after service, and at the same time regulates the freeze-thaw stability. Mono and diglycerides (E471), lecithin (E322) and polysorbates (E 432, E 436) of fatty acids are commonly used emulsifiers in the production of ice cream. The use of all these emulsifiers, which are covered by the bet, is also applied to dessert such as frozen yogurt.

Margarin

Emulsifiers provide the necessary strength, softness / firmness and taste for margarin. Mono and diglycerides (E 471) and lecithin (E 322) of fatty acids are commonly used to ensure that water droplets are well dispersed in the oil phase. For example, citric acid esters of mono and diglycerides prevent the separation of water from the margarine when lactic acid and polyglycerol esters are used for good quality margarine used in baking cakes.

Processed Meat

Sausages are the most important place in the processed meat products industry. Sausages come from meat proteins and fat and water molecules bound in a stable emulsion. Emulsifiers stabilize this emulsion, allowing the oil to disperse well in the product. Food additives are also used in low fat meat products to ensure that these products are as good as full fat varieties. Mono and diglycerides and citric acid esters of fatty acids are used in the manufacture of processed meat products in the food industry.

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We are fed with the letter 'E'

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There are additives almost everything we eat and drink. The most common additives, emulsifiers, dyes, acids, thickeners and sweeteners. These are indicated by numbers beginning with the letter 'E'.

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Additives

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The additives keep the color, structure, taste, chemical and microbiological endurance, nutritive properties of the product and ensure a smooth production process. The most common additives are antioxidants, emulsifiers, dyes, strength enhancers, acids, stabilizers, thickeners and sweeteners. These are indicated by numbers beginning with the letter 'E'. They also have a system. For example, paints E100-199, strength enhancers E200-299, E300-321 antioxidants, E322-375 emulsifiers and acids, E400-419 thickeners and glazes, E400 and other additives.

Harmless Additives

E100, 103, 104, 105, 111, 121, 122, 126, 130, 132, 140, 151, 152, 160, 161, 162, 163, 170, 174, 175, 180, 181, 200, 201, 202, 203, 236, 237, 238, 260, 261, 262, 263, 270, 280, 281, 282, 290, 300, 301, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308 309 322 325, 326, 327, 331, 332, 333, 334, 336, 337, 382, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 408, 410, 411, 420, 421, 422, 440, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 480.

Suspicious Additives

E125, 141, 150, 153, 171, 172, 173, 240, 241, 477, 605, E220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 338, 339, 340, 341, 460, 461, 466, 407,
(leads to stomach and intestinal diseases), E200 (destroys B12 vitamin), E250, 251, 320, 321 (heart diseases cause vascular stiffness and blockages)

Dangerous Additives

E102, 120, E311, 312 ( causes neurological diseases)

Carcinogenic Additives

E102, 110, 123, 124, 131, 142, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217 ( E211-Sodium Benzoate )

Most Dangerous Carcinogen Additive

E300 (unfortunately it is used in many ready-made foods)

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Image Sources: 1, 2

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References

• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emulgators
• https://www.abcnaturopath.com.au/blog.php?poid=68
• http://www.everbum.com/food-additives/food-additives-thickeners-stabilizers-emulsifiers/
• http://www.kristallikov.net/page76e.html
• http://www.traditionaloven.com/articles/122/dangerous-food-additives-to-avoid