Learning Material

UNVEILING THE IMPACT: A CLOSER LOOK AT FOOD ADDITIVES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

Muhzina Muhammed Basheer

St Joseph College of Teacher Education For Women,Ernakulam

ABSTRACT

Food additives are organic substances that are intentionally added to food in small quantities during production or processing to improve the organoleptic quality (colour, flavour, appearance, taste and texture) of the food. Food preservative is a class of food additive that help to prevent food spoilage by preventing the growth and proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. This can be achieved by bringing down the pH of the food so as to make the environment unfavourable for these microbes. This report aims to review the available literature on the various effects of food additives and preservatives on man as a result of the indiscriminate uses by food producers and food consumers. Many effects like food allergies, food intolerance, cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), brain damage, nausea, cardiac disease among others have been reported.

KEY WORDS

Food additives  ,Human health

INTRODUCTION

In our modern era, where convenience often dictates our dietary choices, the prevalence of food additives has surged, transforming the way we consume and experience food. These substances, ranging from preservatives and colorings to flavor enhancers and stabilizers, play a ubiquitous role in the processed foods that populate our grocery store shelves. While these additives are designed to improve the taste, appearance, and shelf life of our favorite snacks and meals, the intricate interplay between these chemical components and our health has raised significant questions and concerns. This article embarks on a comprehensive exploration, navigating the complex landscape of food additives and their potential impact on human health. By scrutinizing scientific research, dissecting labeling practices, and examining regulatory frameworks, we aim to unravel the intricate tapestry of how these additives may influence our well-being, offering readers a nuanced understanding of the choices they make at the dinner table and the potential consequences for their long-term health

CLASSIFICATIONS OF FOOD ADDITIVES

Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them.

Antimicrobial agents: These prevent spoilage of food by microorganisms. These include not only vinegar and salt, but also compounds such as calcium propionate and sorbic acid, which are used in products such as baked foods, salad dressings, cheeses, margarines, and pickled foods (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Antioxidants: An anti-oxidant is a substance added to fats and fat-containing substances to retard oxidation and thereby prolong their wholesomeness, palatability, and, sometimes, keeping time. An anti-oxidant should not contribute an objectionable odour, flavour, or colour, to the fat or to the food in which it is present. It should be effective in low concentrations, and be fat soluble. Also, it should not have a harmful physiological effect. Some anti-oxidants used in foods are butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate (PG), and teriarybutyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), which are all phenolic substances (Dalton, 2002). (2)

Colouring Agents: These include colour stabilizers, colour fixatives, colour retention agents, etc. They consist of synthetic colours and those from natural sources. Even though most colours do not add any nutritive value to foods, without certain colours most consumers will not buy or eat some foods. Thus, colours are frequently added to restore the natural ones lost in food processing or to give the preparations the natural colour we expect. A number of natural food colours extracted from seeds, flowers, insects, and foods, are also used as food additives.Some examples of food colourants are; erythrosine, carmosine (McCann et al., 2007).

Bleaching agents: These are peroxides, which are used to whiten foods such as wheat flour and cheese (Boca and Smoley, 1993).

Chelating agents: Chelating agents are not anti-oxidants. They serve as scavengers of metals which catalyze oxidation. Recommended usage levels for citric acid typically vary between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent with the appropriate anti-oxidant at levels ranging between 100 and 200 ppm). EDTA is a chelating agent permitted for use in the food industry as a chemical preservative. (Sunitha and Preethi, 2000).

Nutrient Supplements: Nutrient supplements restore values lost in processing or storage, or ensure higher nutritional value than what nature may have provided. When foods are processed, there may be loss of some nutrients and additives may be added to restore the original value. For example, to produce white flour, wheat is milled in such a way as to remove the brown coloured part of the grain, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. To restore the nutritive value, thiamine, nicotinic acid, iron and calcium, are added to the flour. Similarly, vitamin C is added to canned citrus fruits to make up the loss of the vitamin during processing (Sunitha and Preethi, 2000).

Acids: Food acids are added to make flavors “sharper”, and also act as preservatives and antioxidants. Common food acids include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid.

Preservatives: A preservative is defined as any substance which is capable of inhibiting, retarding, or arresting, the growth of micro-organisms, of any deterioration of food due to micro-organisms, or of masking the evidence of any such deterioration. Chemical preservatives interfere with the cell membrane of micro-organisms, their enzymes, or their genetic mechanisms. The compounds used as preservatives include natural preservatives, such as sugar, salt, acids, etc, as well as synthetic preservatives. (Sunitha and Preethi, 2000).

pH Control Agents: These include acids, alkalis and buffers. They not only control the pH of foods but also affect a number of food properties such as flavor, texture, and cooking qualities. They are also used to change or otherwise control the acidity and alkalinity of foods (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

 Anti-caking Agents: Anti-caking agents help prevent particles from adhering to each other and turning into a solid chunk during damp weather. They help free flowing of salt and other powders. They also help to keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking.

Leavening Agents: Leavening agents produce light fluffy baked goods. Originally, yeast was used almost exclusively to leaven baked products. It is still an important leavening agent in bread making. When yeast is used, ammonium salts are added to dough to provide a ready source of nitrogen for yeast growth. Phosphate salts (sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate) are added to aid in control of pH (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Antifoaming agents: Antifoaming agents reduce or prevent foaming in foods (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Bulking agents: Bulking agents such as starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without affecting its nutritional value (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Colour retention agents: In contrast to colouring agents, colour retention agents are used to preserve a food’s existing colour (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers are a group of substances used to obtain a stable mixture of liquids that otherwise would not or would separate quickly. They also stabilize gas-in-liquid and gas –in-solid mixtures. (Sunitha and Preethi, 2000).

Flavours and Flavour enhancers: Flavouring additives are the ingredients, both naturally occurring that when added, gives the characteristic flavour to almost all the foods in our diet. Flavour enhancers are not flavours themselve but they amplify the flavours of other substance through a synergistic effect  .

Flour Improvers: These are bleaching and maturing agents; usually, they both bleach and “mature” the flour. These are important in the flour milling and bread-baking industries. Freshly milled flour has a yellowish tint and yields weak dough that produces poor bread. Both the colour and baking properties improve by storing the flour for several months before making bread.

Glazing agents: Glazing agents provide a shiny appearance or protective coating to foods (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Humectants: Humectants are moisture retention agents. Their functions in foods include control of viscosity and texture, bulking, retention of moisture, reduction of water activity, control of crystallization, and improvement or retention of softness.

Tracer gas: Tracer gas allows for package integrity testing preventing foods from being exposed to atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Stabilizers and Thickeners: These compounds function to improve and stabilize the texture of foods, inhibit crystallization (sugar, ice), stabilize emulsions and foams, reduce the stickiness of icings on baked products, and encapsulate flavours. Substances used as stabilizers and thickeners are polysaccharides, such as gum Arabic, carrageenan, agar-agar, alginic acids, starch and its derivatives, carboxy methylcellulose and pectin.

Sweeteners: Sweeteners are added to foods for flavouring. Sweeteners other than sugar are added to keep the food energy (calories) low and they are usually recommended for diabetes mellitus, tooth decay and diarrhea patients so that the sugar levels in them will not be elevated (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

Curing Agents: These are additives used to preserve (cure) meats. They give them desirable colours and flavours, discourage the growth of microorganisms, and prevent toxin formation. Sodium nitrite has been used for centuries as a preservative and colour stabilizer in meat and fish products. (Abdulmumeen et al., 2012).

EFFECTS OF ADDITIVES ON HUMAN HEALTH

The effects of food additives may be immediate or may be harmful in the long run if one have constant exposure or accumulations. Immediate effects may include headaches, change in energy level, and alterations in mental concentration, behaviour, or immune response (Pandey, and Upadhyay, 2012). Long-term effects may increase one’s risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other degenerative conditions. Some modern synthetic preservatives have become controversial because they have been shown to cause respiratory or other health problems (Pandey, and Upadhyay, 2012).

Some food additives and preservatives have been shown to have side effects in human and animal model.

Tartrazine:     Tartrazine is also known as FD&C Yellow no. 5 and E 102 bind directly to DNA (Mpountoukas et al., 2010.) A study by Tanaka et al. reported that tartrazine could exert adverse effects on neurobehavioral parameters (Tanaka et al., 2008), while Gao et al., indicated that tartrazine could cause neurotoxicity and deficits in learning and memory in mice and rats (Gao et al., 2011). Li and co-workers investigated the toxic interaction between tartrazine and bovine hemoglobin (BHb), and found that tartrazine had an obvious toxic effect (Li et al., 2013).

Boric Acid: Boric acid (H3BO3) is a boron compound which is soluble and circulates in plasma .Boric acid is widely used as food preservative (4gm/L) in food products like caviar .It is also used for preserving meats, caviar and dairy products .Boric acid and borates are toxic to cell (Yiu et al., 2008). Boric acid is harmful to human health if consumed in higher amounts (See et al., 2010). However, due to unawareness of the risk of boric acid, it is continued to be used in many foodstuffs. The similar cytotoxic behavior of these food additives was also reported. It was reported by several workers that boric acid suppressed the sperm release from the testes and when the animals were treated with high amount of boric acid; it inhibits DNA synthesis in sperm cells and hence reduces fertility and it impairs fertility in male rodents (Cox, 2004).

Curcumin: Clinical trials in human have been used to study the effects of curcumin on various, including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis and alzheimer’s disease . In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that curcumin can have carcinogenic effect. Clinical studies in humans with high doses (2-12grams) of curcumin have shown few side effects, with some subjects reporting mild nausea or diarrhea . Curcumin have been found to alter iron metabolism by chelating iron and suppressing the protein hepcidin, potentially causing iron deficiency in susceptible patients (Jiao et al., 2009). Curcumin also has embryotoxic and teratogenic effects on zebrafishes (Daniorerio) embryos (Wu et al., 2007). In vitro and in vivo studies carried out by Mohamed et al (2011) suggested that curcumin may cause carcinogenic effects.

Nitrites and Nitrates:. Exposure to higher levels of nitrates or nitrites has been associated with increased incidence of cancer in adults, and possible increased incidence of brain tumors, leukemia, and nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) tumors in children. Reduced oxygenation of hemoglobin (methemoglobinemia) has been reported after exposure to nitrate and nitrite contaminated drinking water; also called the “blue baby syndrome” because of the cyanotic (oxygen- deficient) symptoms that result from the reduced oxygenation of the blood.

Other health effects following fetal exposure to elevated levels of nitrates in drinking water included intrauterine growth retardation increased incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), cardiac defects , and increased risk of nervous system defects .Studies have reported other health effects that are possibly associated with nitrate exposure in children, including increased incidence of childhood diabetes , recurrent diarrhea , and recurrent respiratory tract infections . Brain tumors, leukemia, and nasopharyngeal cancers in children have also been reported .Maternal (during pregnancy) or child consumption of nitrite-containing meats may be associated with increased incidence of brain tumors

Annatto: Annatto is safe for most people when used in small amounts; however, it can cause rare allergic reaction for those who are sensitive to it .Annatto has been linked to cases of food-related allergies . In one 1978 study among 61 consecutive patients suffering from chronic hives and/or angioedemas, 56 patients where orally provoked by annatto extract during the elimination diet . Annatto has accounted for 40 years of irritable bowel syndrome due to unrecognized sensitivity to annatto . Annatto dye is a potential rare cause of anaphylaxis .

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) are synthetic monocyclic phenolic compounds. They are commonly used in many food formulations as food preservatives for their antioxidant properties (Aml, 2013). BHA and BHT have been suspected of inducing health risks such as child hyperactivity, damage to the lungs, liver, and kidneys, and most importantly, cancer . Research studies have shown that BHA and BHT can be carcinogenic at high doses and a concentration greater than 3000 ppm, has been known to induce forestomach squamous cell carcinomas in rodents while BHT at 250 mg/kg/day increases spontaneous neoplasms and tumor-promoting activity . Another study showed that BHA caused forestomach hyperplasia and cytotoxicity .

Vinegar: Esophageal injury by applying cider vinegar table has been reported, and, because vinegar products sold for medical purposes are neither regulated nor standardized, they varied widely in content, pH, and other respect . Long term heavy vinegar ingestion has one recorded case of possibly causing hypokalemia, hyperreninemia and osteoporosis .

Artificial Sweeteners: These contribute to one of the several side effects of food additives because of their sweet nature which make them to be used indiscriminately by food producers and individual as well. Artificial sweeteners considered in this review include Saccharin, Aspartame, Sucralose and Neotame.

Saccharin:If saccharin is even a weak carcinogen, this unnecessary additive would pose an intolerable risk to the public. Thus, we urge the NTP on the basis of currently available data to conclude that saccharin is 'reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen' because there is 'sufficient' evidence of carcinogenicity in animals (multiple sites in rats and mice) and 'limited' or 'sufficient' evidence of carcinogenicity in humans (bladder cancer)  and not to delist saccharin, at least until a great deal of further research is conducted. Another possible danger of saccharin is the possibility of allergic reactions. The reaction would be in response to it belonging to a class of compounds known as sulfonamides, which can cause allergic reactions in individuals who cannot tolerate sulfa drugs. Reactions can include headaches, breathing difficulties, skin eruptions, and diarrhea (Kovacs, 2011). It's also believed that the saccharin found in some infant formulas and can cause irritability and muscle dysfunction. For these reasons, many people still believe that the use of saccharin should be limited in infants, children, and pregnant women . Bladder cancer associated with saccharin ingestion was also found to be specific to rodent physiology (Kroger, 2006).

Aspartame: Aspartame is one of the most controversial artificial sweeteners. Aspartame is likely one of many dietary triggers of migraines."aspartame disease" about the negative health consequences of ingesting aspartame. Some of these symptoms include headache, dizziness, change in mood, vomiting or nausea, abdominal pain and cramps, change in vision, diarrhea, seizures/convulsions, memory loss, and fatigue. Along with these symptoms, links to aspartame are made for fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, and various cancers .

Sucralose: The presence of chlorine in sucralose is thought to be the most dangerous component of sucralose. Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides, and plastics (Kovacs, 2011). The alleged symptoms associated with sucralose are gastrointestinal problems (bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea), skin irritations (rash, hives, redness, itching, swelling), wheezing, cough, runny nose, chest pains, palpitations, anxiety, anger, moods swings, depression, and itchy eyes (Abou-Donia, 2008).

Acesulfame K:. Acesulfame K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride. Long exposure to methylene chloride can cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver effects, kidney effects, visual disturbances, and cancer in humans (Kovacs, 2011).

Neotame: Neotame entered the market much more discreetly than the other artificial sweeteners. The chemical similarity that it has to aspartame may mean that it can cause the same problems that are associated with that. Without scientifically sound studies done by independent labs, there is no way to know if this is safe and for whom it is safe .

CONCLUSION

 Additives have been used for many years to preserve, flavour, blend, thicken and colour foods, and have played an important and essential role in reducing serious nutritional deficiencies (Nutrition Supplement Additives). Additives help to assure the availability of wholesome, appetizing and affordable foods that meet consumer’s demands from season to season while also helping to preserve food from spoilage from microorganism. Food additives play a vital role in the food industries, but the various adverse effects associated with them remain a problem that need to be fought by us. Synthetic food additives react with the cellular component of the body leading to the various food disturbances (effects). If we must use food additives, because of their advantages, they should be the natural ones which have minimal effects and those that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and in the case of those not generally recognized as safe (Non GRAS), the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) should not be exceeded. To minimize the risk of developing health problems due to food additives and preservatives, one should avoid the foods containing these additives and preservatives. Before purchasing the canned food, its ingredients should be checked. Purchase only organic foods, which are free from artificial additives. Although it may seem difficult to change habits and find substitutes for foods that one enjoy, remind yourself that you will be adding to your diet some new wholesome foods that you will come to enjoy even more. Look for foods that are not packaged and processed, but enjoy nature’s own bounty of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Find foods that resemble what they looked like when they were originally grown.

 

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