Additives–Helpful or Harmful?

For centuries, people have enhanced their foods with various flavorings, preservatives, and dyes. But some ingredients on today’s food labels can be downright scary.

Few food reach today’s supermarkets free of additives – substances that do not occur naturally in a food but are added for various reasons. These include preservatives to prevent spoilage; emulsifiers to prevent water and fat from separating; thickeners; vitamins and minerals (either to replace nutrients lost in processing or to increase nutritional value); sweeteners (both natural and artificial); salt, flavoring to improve taste; and dyes to make everything from candies to soft drinks more visually appealing.

In all, North American food processors may use any of about 2,800 additives. Although many people question the safety of these additives, the fact is that their use is governed by stringent regulations. Authorities require extensive studies before an additive is allowed on the market. In spite of this, rare reactions to certain additives are possible. The appropriate use of additives, though, allows us to enjoy history’s safest and most abundant assortment of foods.

The most common food additives are sugar, corn syrup, other sweeteners, and salt; they used both to enhanced flavor and to retard spoilage. Other additives offer their own unique health benefits; these include calcium, as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Vitamin E, and other antioxidants that prevent fats from turning rancid and may also offer some protection against cancer, heart disease, and other ailments.

Additives can perform useful functions

Additives can be safe even though they sound distasteful. Shellac, for example, the resinous secretion of the female Indian “lac” bug, is often referred to in the trade as “confectioner’s glaze".” It can be used to give protective, glossy coating to candies, jelly beans, and ice cream cones. Since it is insoluble in water, it can prevent the food product from drying out by forming a moisture impermeable layer. That’s the reason citrus fruits and avocados are sometimes treated with shellac. This substance has long been used as a food additive without any problem, and animal tests have shown no adverse reactions.

Substances such as sodium stearyl fumarate, an additive to improve the texture and handling properties of baked goods, and dioctyl sulfosuccinate, an emulsifier and flavor enhancer, although harmless, make those of us without a degree in chemistry understandably wary.

THE QUESTIONABLE FEW

The majority of food additives are safe, but there are exceptions, and every now and then, one is removed from the market. The fact that some dyes, such as Red #2, are banned in the US but allowed in Canada demonstrates that, in some cases, “safety” is open to interpretation. Red # 40 , which was used in the US to replace Red # 2 and is allowed in Canada, is banned in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Controversial actions by activist groups have fueled worries about complete groups of additives in some instances. The case of artificial sweeteners is a prime example.

ACCIDENTAL ADDITIVES

Some 10,000 substances make their way into food during growing, processing, and packaging; some of these accidental additives can pose more of a health threat than preservatives and other direct additives. Some foods, for example, contain traces of pesticides sprayed on crops or applied to the soil. Environmental pollutants in foods, such as PCBs, mercury, and lead are harmful when ingested in large quantities.
Sometimes allergic reactions that are blamed on foods or intentional additives are actually triggered by an unintended one. For example, a person who has never had a food allergy may inexplicably develop a rash after drinking milk. Allergists have traced the symptoms in some cases to penicillin used to treat mastitis in cows. The resulting small amounts of penicillin in the milk would not harmful for most people, only to those who are allergic to the drug.

A PRUDENT APPROACH

Even though the benefits of most food additives outweigh any potential risks, prudence and moderation should prevail in their use; some can be avoided entirely. Some additives pose problems for people with certain medical conditions. Anyone with high blood pressure or any condition that mandates a low-salt diet should check the labels on all processed foods for various forms of sodium.

People trying to reduce sugar intake should look for lactose and other ingredients ending in “ose”; these are forms of sugar. Those with an inherited tendency to store excessive iron, a condition called hemochromatosis, should avoid iron-enriched breads, cereals, and other products. Sulfites used to preserve the color of dried fruits, frozen French fries, and sauerkraut can trigger an asthma attack in susceptible people. Some people may experience headaches after eating foods preserved with nitrites, and in rare cases children with attention deficit disorder may respond adversely to certain food colorants. Some additives amount to overkill; this is especially true of highly fortified breakfast cereals.

Preserved foods have more additives than their fresh counterparts. Fresh meat, poultry, and fish for example, do contain the nitrites and other preservatives found in smoked or processed meats. Highly processed foods tend to contain the most additives. These, though, should be avoided more on account of their poor nutritional value that simply because of their additives.

Food Additives Table List

Grilled Foods–Examining The Risks

Grilling has been a popular method of cooking for thousands of years. Grilled foods retain a lot of flavor and cooking them doesn’t require added fats. Vegetables cook quickly on the grill with little loss of moisture or vitamins. In short, grilling is a truly healthful cooking method – with one potentially major caveat.

 

Caveman Cooking

Involving direct exposure of food to the source of heat, grilling or broiling is the modern and controlled version of man's oldest culinary technique – namely, roasting over an open fire. The intense flavor of grilled food results from the numerous chemical reactions that take place when a food surface is subjected to very high temperatures. Grilling – whether by gas flame, electric element, or charcoal – demands temperatures four to six times higher than can be reached in an oven; an electric broiler heats to about 2,000°F (1,090°C) and a gas flame to about 3,000°F (1,650°C), compared with a maximum of 500°F (260°C) for domestic ovens. Unfortunately, the high heat that causes the appealing caramelization of browning has a less desirable aspect: the outside of the food may become unpalatably charred before the inside is cooked through. grilling is best reserved, therefore, for quick-cooking foods, such as fish and the thinner cuts of meat and poultry. It is an excellent method of preparing such vegetables as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms; apples, peaches, and other fruits are also delicious when grilled. Pre-grill preparation requires little more than a light brushing with oil to prevent food from sticking to the grill or drying out, followed by a dusting of herbs.

The downside of grilling

At grilling temperatures, the surface fat on meat quickly burns away, releasing acrid fumes and creating a risk of fire. There's a further hazard to grilling. Cancer-causing substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons form when the fat from meat drips onto hot coals and are deposited onto the food through smoke. You can minimize exposure to the fumes by partly baking or parboiling the food, then finishing it off with a few minutes on the grill to achieve a crusty exterior and succulent interior. Choose lean cuts, and trim all visible fat from meat. Whether you're using an oven broiler or an outdoor grill, place a broiling pan to catch melted fat under a spatterproof metal shield.

Heating meat, poultry, and fish to a high temperature also creates substances called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which have been linked to cancer in animals. HCAs can also form in foods – specially red meat – that are fried or broiled. This may be one reason that frequent consumption of red meat has been linked, at least in some studies, with an increased risk for certain cancers, such as colon cancer.

Other potentially toxic compounds are generated by chemical reactions that take place when foods are cooked at high temperatures. Carcinogenic nitrosamines, for example, form when foods that contain nitrite as a preservative are heated.

There's no direct evidence that substances causing cancer in animals necessarily cause the disease in humans, but there is enough epidemiological evidence to suggest that foods cooked at a high temperature should be consumed in moderation.

Combine protective foods and nutrients as a precaution

The risks of eating grilled foods can be modulated by combining them with certain protective nutrients. Vitamins C and E, for example, block the chemical reaction that generates nitrosamines. As antioxidants, these vitamins, as well as beta carotene, can neutralize some carcinogens. Wheat bran binds with nitrite and makes it unavailable for nitrosamine formation. So, you can balance your grilled breakfast bacon with a glass of vitamin C-rich citrus juice and fortified whole-grain cereal or a bran muffin for vitamin E.

Substances found in vegetables and fruits bind directly to carcinogens, such as the polycyclic hydrocarbons, and prevent them from reacting with DNA. Bioflavonoids, the pigments in many fruits and vegetables, appear to block many carcinogens. Fiber may bind with or dilute carcinogens and speed their elimination from the digestive tract. When you barbecue, serve lots of leafy greens and whole grains along with the meat or fish to ensure a healthy mixture of fiber and vitamins. Make a vegetarian barbecue; add low-fat cheese to satisfy a desire for protein. Grilled fruits end a meal with a colorful cocktail of vitamins, fiber, and flavor.

A warning about marinades

Marinades can add exotic flavors. A small amount of honey or other sugar in the marinade will hasten the caramelization process because simple sugars brown at lower temperatures than proteins and starchy foods do. But don't make the mistake of assuming that a marinated meat is cooked just because the outside is browned. And despite the instructions in many recipes to marinate for hours, there's nothing to be gained from prolonged marination. The marinade cannot penetrate past the surface of the meat, no matter how long the meat is soaked. In addition, the acid of the marinade will eventually tenderize the surface of the meat by denaturing the surface proteins. When left too long in the marinade, your meat will come off the grill with a flavorful but mushy outer layer that contrasts unpleasantly with the inner texture.

Caution

Even if there are lots of hungry guests waiting for burgers from the barbeque, don't take them off the grill until they're thoroughly cooked. Ground beef could have come in contact with E. coli 0157 bacteria, which is present in the intestines of cattle, and may infect the meat during processing. Potentially harmful bacteria are killed when the meat is adequately cooked, but can survive in meat that is rare. Always cook hamburgers until the juice runs clear and be sure not to place cooked hamburgers back on the same platter that held raw meat.

Irradiation – Extending shelf life

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wave a magic wand over the food supply and make it safe to eat? Since that’s not possible, we can do the next best thing: food irradiation. Exposure of foods to X-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation kills the molds, bacteria, and insects that cause spoilage. It delays the ripening of fruits and berries, so extends shelf life. In addition, that they fresh longer. Previously, heat and the use of chemicals (formaldehyde, alcohol, or various pesticides, were the major methods of sterilization, but each had its drawbacks. Heat sterilization entails cooking foods, so they are no longer fresh; chemical that kill bacteria and other microorganisms often make foods inedible. Irradiation would seem to be an ideal means of sterilization, but the public has been slow to accept it.

Radioactive foods?

Despite assurances that irradiation with X-rays or certain isotopes does not make food radioactive, some consumer and environmental groups remain unconvinced. The worry that any radiation exposure poses a potential environmental hazard, even if the food themselves are not made radioactive. They also fear radiation may foster the development of dangerous mutant organisms or “unique radiolytic product”. The latter refer to compound such as 2-alkylcyclobutanones, which form when animal fat is irradiated. some studies have shown that some compound can cause strand breaks in DNA, which raises the prospect of cancer. Most researchers, however, do not attach much importance to this finding. As in cooking, the benefits of irradiation greatly outweigh the risks. There are roughly 50 million cases of food borne illness in North America every year and a large number of these are causes by E. coli and salmonella, which could be controlled by irradiation. Food such as wheat, flour, potatoes, and spices have been irradiated in many countries for decades without any link to harmful effects.

The government mandates that only certain forms of irradiation can be applied to foods to ensure that they don’t absorb the radioactive material. X-rays, which pass through an object without living behind radioactive material, and exposure to certain cobalt an cesium isotopes are all acceptable methods. These methods of cold sterilization allow most irradiated foods to retain their fresh appearance and taste. When meat, fish, and seafood are exposed to high doses of radiation needed to destroy parasites, salmonella bacteria, and other organisms, however, the flesh of some meat may darken, and fish and seafood may become mushy. Irradiation can also oxidize the fats in whole grains, causing them to taste rancid.

Beneficial Effects

In general, irradiation preserves more nutrients – particularly niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and other B-group vitamins – than other sterilization methods do. But very high radiation doses, such as those needed to sterilize meat, will destroy some of the fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K. The effects of irradiation on vitamin C remain unknown; some studies show no loss of this nutrient, while others indicate major losses.

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Irradiated foods must bear this international symbol

Advocates of irradiation emphasize that the technique can increase food supplies in many underdeveloped parts of the world, especially in the tropics, where food spoilage destroys much of the food produced. Irradiation could conceivably solve chronic food shortages in these areas.

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Food For Thought

Irradiation helps to protect people with compromised immune systems

Food irradiation adds an extra measure of food safety for AIDS patients and other with lowered immunity; these people are cautioned not to eat uncooked fruits and vegetables and to make sure that all meat, fish, eggs, and other food that may harbor disease-causing bacteria or parasites are cooked until well done. Even after these precautions are taken, food-borne disease are a major hazard for people with compromised immunity. High dose irradiation can eliminate these dangers.