E for Additives
The potassium salts of nitrates and nitrites, E249 and E252. are not included in the list, although they are also problematical, as it is recognized that chemical means to preserve meat are, at this time, necessary. They have the advantage of not adding to the amount of sodium in the diet.
What is included in any list of avoidable additives is a personal decision and the wise approach is to make your own list.
11. The Natural Opportunity for Profit
The food revolution following the publication of E for Additives produced two conflicting results. The first was a whole lot of foods that were nutritionally better as well as being free from unnecessary and possibly harmful additives. The second was the use of such statements as ‘free from artificial colours’ and others, including the frequent use of the word ‘natural’ to give the impression that the food was just as if it had been taken from an old world farm and prepared specially for you with the care and consideration of a good home cook. These foods are taking a step along the right road but you have to be very discriminating indeed.
If a product says ‘no artificial colourings’, then that is all very well but what are the other ingredients? The overall concept of a healthy and balanced diet is far more important than any concern you may have for the odd E-additive unless you have a special sensitivity. It is the food we eat that makes us fit and healthy and the trick is to avoid being misled by advertising and pack presentation which makes you think that the absence of certain ingredients means that by default other good nutritional substances must be there. They may, but there again they may not.
The E-code has given us the freedom to make informed decisions about some of the foods we eat, but those decisions should not just be based on the additives but upon the whole nutritional concept of the food. On the other hand, food is also fun, and if you like to enjoy a few potato crisps, that is just fine. It is truly an advantage that you can now obtain them without BHA and BHT (E320 and E321), with natural flavours, and cooked in vegetable oil.
E does not stand for EVIL, but rather for EXPLANATION. Regrettably many consumers reject all foods with an E number whereas no-one need be concerned by four out of five of the Es.
This is causing yet another hype with manufacturers taking the legal option of spelling out the name of the additive in full instead of using the E number. They claim that this is because the consumer now understands additives better. The truth is that confusion has been created, the dreaded E symbol is absent. No E number equals OK to eat so a person who has become used to avoiding E102 because of an allergy problem now has to be aware that this additive is tartrazine. An asthmatic avoiding sulphates, E220–E227, has to learn eight different chemical names in addition to their numbers.
The law needs to be changed so that E numbers have to be listed as well as the optional chemical names or people will suffer.
The food industry has to make a profit in order to survive and to have the money available to develop new and interesting foods. It is our job to make sure that the promises on the packet are supported by the composition of the product; for by selecting for our personal use those products which are truly honest and nutritionally sensible and, not to be forgotten, taste good, we shall be supporting those manufacturers, and there are many of them, who truly understand the difference between nutritional hype and nutritional help.
12. The E Number Categories
E100 Curcumin (C.I. 75300) Source Extract of dried rhizome of Curcuma longa (turmeric), a member of the ginger family, grown in India, West Pakistan, China and Malaya. The lateral rhizomes contain the most colouring materials, known as curcuminoids. Curcumin, the pure colouring principle of the spice turmeric, is obtained by solvent extraction of turmeric using methanol, hexane and acetone. Function Water soluble orange-yellow colour. Used in many new products as a replacement for artificial colours. Effects There were no adverse effects seen in rats and mice fed 0.1 per cent curcumin over 90 days, but the thyroid weight of pigs increased when fed 60–1550mg/kg body weight curcumin for over 100 days, and the thyroid cells multiplied abnormally. Long-term studies in rats are in progress to try to help understand these results. A.D.I. 0–0.1mg/kg body weight (temporary to 1987). Typical Products Edible fats and oils to restore colour lost in processing Savoury rice Flour confectionery Curry powders Margarine Processed cheese Butter Ice cream Fish cakes and fish fingers Chicken pies E101 Riboflavin (Lactoflavin; Vitamin B2) Source Occurs naturally in liver, kidneys, green vegetables, malted barley, eggs and milk, and a small amount is synthesized by bacteria in the large intestine. Manufactured from yeast or other fermenting organisms, such as Ashbya gossypii or Eremothecium ashbyii, or more often by synthesis starting with O-xylene, D-ribose or alloxan. Function Yellow or orange-yellow colour; vitamin B2. Has poor solubility, so is difficult to incorporate into many liquid foods, and is also sensitive to light. Effects Little riboflavin is stored in the body; excess of requirements is excreted in the urine No toxicological problems even with intakes far exceeding the nutritionally required levels. There is a suggestion that riboflavin in the diet may prevent the reduction of azo dyes (see glossary) by intestinal bacteria. A.D.I. 0–0.5mg/kg body weight. The levels in foods intended for babies and young children are limited to the amounts used as a vitamin supplement. Typical Products Sauces Processed cheese Pickled cucumbers Vitamin enrichment Milk products, condensed or dried Foods described on the label directly or by implication as being specially prepared for babies or young children limited to amounts permitted in vitamin supplements as a medicine. 101(a) Riboflavin-5’-phosphate (Riboflavin-5’-[Sodium phosphate]) Source Prepared by chemical action on riboflavin (E101). Riboflavin-5’-phosphate consists mainly of the monosodium salt of the 5’-monophosphate ester of riboflavin dihydrate. Function Yellow or orange-yellow colour, vitamin B2—a more soluble form of riboflavin, but also more expensive Effects The phosphate is rapidly hydrolysed after ingestion to yield riboflavin. Riboflavin and riboflavin-5’-phosphate are in metabolic equilibrium after absorption. There are no toxicological problems with riboflavin even when taken in amounts far exceeding the nutritionally required levels or any likely food use. A.D.I. 0–0.5mg/kg body weight (temporary). Typical Products The levels in foods intended for babies and young children are limited to the amounts used as a vitamin supplement. Various sugar products jams Milk products, condensed or dried Under consideration by the EEC for an ‘E’ prefix. E102 Tartrazine (C.I. 19140: FD and C Yellow 5) Source Synthetic, an azo dye (see glossary). Function Yellow colour. Effects Tartrazine appears to be the most reactive of all the azo dyes. In a double-blind crossover placebo-controlled trial with 76 selected overactive children, tartrazine and benzoic acid (E210) provoked a response in 79 per cent of those tested but no child reacted to either substance individually. In a study of 88 children with severe frequent migraine headaches tartrazine caused symptoms in 12 of them. Tartrazine provokes a response in some adult asthmatics, particularly those sensitive to aspirin, although aspirin-intolerant people are not necessarily intolerant to tartrazine. It also makes the condition worse in between 10 and 40 per cent of patients with chronic urticaria (nettle rash), and possibly intensifies the reactions of a higher proportion still of aspirin-sensitive individuals. However, the 1987 Food Advisory Committee’s report on the Colouring Matter in Food Regulations states that placebo-controlled provocation studies are shedding doubt on the aspirin/tartrazine association and the matter is as yet unresolved. The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group recommends that this colour, among others, be eliminated from the diets of the children it represents. Other adverse reactions in susceptible people include itching, rhinitis (runny nose), blurred vision, and purple patches on the skin, and it has been suggested that tartrazine in fruit flavour cordials may be responsible for wakefulness in small children at night. There appears to be no clear scientific explanation of how tartrazine causes a response in sensitive individuals. Some reactions, because they happen quickly on low doses, suggest an allergy. Tartrazine has been shown to raise the plasma histamine levels of normal healthy adults when large doses of more than 50mg are given. Skin tests with tartrazine, however, often fail to produce a reaction, so it may mean that a breakdown product of tartrazine is responsible. An accurate assessment of tartrazine sensitivity in the general population can be only a guess. One source (BIBRA) supposes that 0.06–0.24 per cent of the population as a whole might be sensitive to tartrazine. This would represent between 34,000 and 134,000 people in the UK. Survey work undertaken on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food suggests that intolerance to all food additives is something approaching 0.4 per cent (or 222,000) of the population. A.D.I. 0–7.5mg/kg body weight. Typical Products Fruit squash and cordial Coloured fizzy drinks Instant puddings Packet convenience foodsКонец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Вы ознакомились с фрагментом книги.
Для бесплатного чтения открыта только часть текста.
Приобретайте полный текст книги у нашего партнера:
Полная версия книги