Navigating the food additives landscape

In a new article for the Institute of Food Science & Technology, Alice Joubran gives an expert overview on the latest trends in food additives, exploring innovative solutions, regulatory challenges, and the growing demand for clean-label and sustainable ingredient alternatives.

 

 

What are food additives?

 

Food additives are defined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as ‘any substance not normally consumed as a food in itself and not normally used as a characteristic ingredient of food, whether or not it has nutritive value, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological purpose in the manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packaging, transport or storage of such food results, or may be reasonably expected to result, in it or its by-products becoming directly or indirectly a component of such foods’.

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Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008[1] details the various functional classes of food additives, e.g. antioxidants, a list of approved food additives, levels of use, labelling requirements and other key considerations. In addition, manufacturers need to comply with Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012[2], which provides specifications for all authorised food additives, whether the additives are for sale or being used by the manufacturer within their products. The United Kingdom has assimilated this European regulation.


In the UK as well as in the European Union, any food additive not included in the approved list must complete an authorisation procedure prior to it being used in food products. Authorisation requests must be submitted to the relevant regulatory body: Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) in Great Britain; EFSA in the EU and Northern Ireland. Following the thorough review, a decision will be made on the whether the additive is safe to use and consume with additional information on maximum levels, any associated restrictions and exemptions.

History of food additives and functions

 

It may seem surprising, since many people think of food additives as a more recent ‘invention’. However, throughout history, food additives have been used in different food products and cuisines. The first deliberate use of a food additive was likely salt for the preservation of foods such as fish and meat.

 

Other examples with a long history of consumption are sulphites in wine, or the preservatives nitrates and nitrites in cured meat such as bacon, which prevent the growth of the pathogenic bacteria Clostridium botulinum and its toxin production.3

During the Industrial Revolution (~1760-1840), the use of food additives increased dramatically due to the need to prolong shelf-life, whereas beforehand, food was freshly prepared at home and consumed immediately. While many food additives traditionally used existed in nature such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), technological advancements enabled the development of other additives to support specific functions, such as the antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Regulatory bodies were later formed to control the different aspects of food production, including the use of food additives.


Within Regulation (EC) No 1333/20081, which is an assimilated regulation in the UK, EFSA classified the categories in which food additives are used. These include, among others: preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, foaming agents, gelling agents, sweeteners and thickeners.


‘It will be exciting to see what new food additives are coming next and how the recent advancements in food industry drive innovation further.’

 

 

Future trends and challenges

Techno-functionality and compatibility with key ingredients

 

Some of the food additive categories mentioned relate to techno-functionalities that are vital in food formulation, food processing, structure formation and consumer acceptance. ‘Emulsifiers are substances that make it possible to form or maintain a homogeneous mixture of two or more immiscible phases, such as oil and water in a foodstuff’1.

 

This functionality will be relevant in food products like flavoured milk drinks, mayonnaise, or salad dressings. Another example is foaming agents utilised in the production of ice cream and whipped dairy cream, since they ‘make it possible to form a homogeneous dispersion of a gaseous phase in a liquid or solid foodstuff’1.

 

During the different steps of product development, from kitchen prototypes to scale-up, it is important to evaluate the techno-functional properties. In-depth scientific understanding of the structure-function-processing interplay is driving innovation in this space as well as reformulation efforts. Another key aspect to consider is the compatibility with other key ingredients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, which could possess functional attributes themselves. In fact, hydrocolloids like the polysaccharides carrageenan and xanthan gum are increasingly used for their stabilising, emulsifying, gelling and thickening properties.


Analytical measurements can guide and accelerate the development of new food products. While functionality can be assessed by simple methods which don’t require costly analytical equipment, further characterisation is beneficial to benchmark performance against other food additives or ingredients. This can be useful, for example, to measure viscosity easily and accurately under different shear rates and/or temperatures which are relevant to the process. In addition, the high-throughput nature of the instruments allows for the analysis of more samples or prototypes. State-of-the-art techniques like 3D modelling could provide valuable insights, including the localisation of the various components in a food matrix. These insights could be used for improving texture, mouthfeel, flavour release or control, and even help address issues like separation or undesirable consumer perception.

 

Analytical methods are also important to quantify the food additive in the food product, most of them rely on chromatography4. Due to the complexity of the food matrix and potentially low levels of food additives, it can be quite challenging to detect and quantify these components. Based on our experience, we can develop an optimal sample preparation and extraction, where needed, and ensure the analytical method is fit for purpose.

 

 

Novel additives and new sources of food additives

 

Recent years have seen numerous supply chain strains, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical and climate events. The example of lecithin, which is widely used as an emulsifier, often comes to mind. The war in Ukraine significantly impacted the food industry, since approximately 70% of the global sunflower lecithin is produced in Ukraine and Russia5, further highlighting how fragile the global food supply chain really is.

 

In addition, regulations in the UK relating to food and drink high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) were introduced, and consumer and retailer demand for ‘clean label’ products is increasing. Consequently, the food and drink industry is constantly looking for novel additives and new sources of food additives, alongside novel processing technologies to support reformulation, improve functionality and/or extend shelf-life.

While some ‘natural’ food additives are already approved, e.g. stevia and tartaric acid, other food-derived ingredients are being explored as potential food additives. One of the trends we’ve observed is that instead of isolating compounds like pectin, manufacturers are utilising fractions that contain several constituents, such as apple pomace. This approach adds complexity from the analytical perspective, for example, but is more cost-effective and could also be coupled with circular economy principles when valorising side-streams or by-products.


However, it is important to highlight that even ‘natural’ alternatives may still need to undergo authorisation before use if they fall under the above definition of a food additive and do not meet any of the exemptions listed in the legislation. Furthermore, the selective extraction (i.e., by physical/chemical extraction) of constituents like pigments, even if prepared from foods and other natural source materials, are considered additives.


Therefore, they are in scope of the legislation and will require authorisation. Even if the ‘food additive’ legislation does not apply, there may be novel food implications6 for the ingredient or product which need to be considered. We understand the ins and outs of legislation may be confusing, and since regulation is dynamic, it is important to keep up to date. Therefore, working closely with regulatory professionals is key when considering a new food additive.


One of the latest innovative food products is plant-based meat alternatives or analogues. Using plant-based proteins in these products proved as a challenge, and numerous additives are required to compensate for their functional limitations.


Methylcellulose (E461) is commonly utilised in plant-based meat alternatives as a binder due to its thickening and emulsifying properties. However, consumer perception of ‘E-numbers’ and demand for ‘clean label’ products resulted in replacements such as sugar beet pectin7. Another area we’ve seen growth in are various food additives produced by precision fermentation, in which an end product is produced by a microbial host. This is proving challenging for regulators where equivalency data may be required.


Overall, food additives have been used historically for various functions, including preservation, thickening, antioxidant activity etc. It is important to ensure the food additives you are selling or using comply with the legislation and that you consider the interplay of structure-function-processing when choosing the right food additive.


It will be exciting to see what new food additives are coming next and how the recent advancements in food industry, including cultivated meat, plant-based meat analogues and precision fermentations, drive innovation further.

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About the author

 

 Alice Joubran

 

Extensive experience in food research and product development, with a special interest in the link between product formulation, processing and the resulting techno-functionality and digestibility. Alice partners with clients offering both technical consultancy and project management to support their end to end innovation.