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A description of all those strange food terms.

Some food additives have more than one use. Food additives are listed according to their functional or class names. Examples of the most common functions are:

Acids, Acidity regulators and Alkalis
These additives help to maintain a constant acid level in food. This is important for taste, as well as to influence how other substances in the food function. For example, an acidified food can retard the growth of some micro-organisms.

Anti-caking agents
They reduce the tendency of individual food particles to adhere to each other and therby improve flow characteristics. For example, seasoning with an added anti-caking agent flows freely and doesn't clump together.

Antioxidants
retard or prevent the oxidative deterioration of foods. For example, in fats and oils, rancid flavours can develop when they are exposed to oxygen. Antioxidants prevent this from happening.

Bulking agents These contribute to the volume of the food, without contributing significantly to its available energy. Other spice companies add these to their spice mix thereby reducing the cost of the expensive spices. The most common bulking agent used is flour.

Colourings
They are used to add or restore colour to foods. For example, icing mixture is coloured to make it more attractive on cakes.

Emulsifiers
They facilitate or maintain oil and water from separating into layers. For example, emulsifiers may be used in salad dressing to prevent the oils from seperation.

Firming agents and Stabilisers
These are used where maintaining the uniform dispersion of substances in solid and semi-solid foods is important.

Flavour enhancers
As the name suggests they enhance the existing taste and/or odour of a food.

Foaming agents
They maintain the uniform dispersion of gases in aerated foods.

Gelling agents
they modify the texture of the food through gel formation.

Glazing agents
These agents impart a coating to the external surface of the food, for example a wax coating on fruit to improve its appearance.

Humectants
reduce moisture loss in foods. For example, glycerine may be added to icing to prevent it from drying out.

Preservatives
retard or prevent the deterioration of food by micro-organisms, and thus prevent spoilage of foods.

Raising agents
liberate gases, thereby increasing the volume of a food.   Raising agents are often used in baked goods.

Sweeteners
replace the sweetness normal provided by sugars in foods without contributing significantly to their available energy.

Thickeners
increase the viscosity of a food.   For example, a sauce might contain a thickener to give it the desired consistency.


The Melbourne Food Ingredient Depot is located at 508 Lygon Street, East Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. Phone 03 9386 3206 (International Phone: + (61 3) 9386 3206)
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