ARCHIVED - Definition of Codes
- A - Antioxidants
- substances used to preserve food by retarding deterioration, rancidity, or discoloration due to oxidation.
- Ac - Anticaking Agents
- keep powders free-running: salt, for example, would turn into a solid chunk during damp weather without an anticaking agent.
- Af - Antifoaming Agents
- prevent undesirable foaming during the manufacture of certain foods, such as in the making of some jams.
- BM - Bleaching, Maturing, and Dough Conditioning Agents
- act on flour to produce a product of consistent quality and colour. Freshly milled flour has a creamy colour because it contains carotenoids, the same pigments that make certain fruits and vegetables yellow. If stored for several months, flour becomes whiter and its baking qualities improve due to oxidation. However, the natural aging process is slow and the results are not always consistent. Storage also increases the final cost of the product and the danger of deterioration and infestation from insects and rodents. Bleaching and maturing agents hasten the oxidation and aging processes. Dough conditioners, which modify the strength of the flour, improve the handling properties of the dough and reduce mixing time, resulting in better texture, volume, and crumb evenness in bakery products.
- C - Colouring Agents
- give foods an appetizing appearance. Factors such as processing, storage and seasonal variation can result in unattractive or unfamiliar colour. Usually, the word "colour" appears on a label, not the specific chemical or common name.
- CE - Carriers or Extraction Solvents
- act as vehicles and diluents for food additives and flavours to facilitate their introduction to food (i.e. propylene glycol used to dissolve colour) or to enable the extraction of substances from food (i.e. ethyl acetate to decaffeinate coffee or ethyl alcohol to extract vanilla from vanilla beans).
- E - Emulsifiers
- permit the permanent dispersion of tiny globules of one liquid in another, such as oil droplets dispersed in the vinegar solution of a salad dressing. They also improve the volume, uniformity, and fineness of grain in bread and rolls.
- ES - Emulsifying Salts
- rearrange cheese proteins in the manufacture of processed cheese, in order to prevent fat separation.
- F - Firming Agents
- maintain the texture of various foods, such as processed or prepared fruits, vegetables and fish products, which would otherwise go soft as a result of heat treatment during processing. They are also used to impart firmness to the curd of certain cheeses.
- Fe - Food Enzymes
- promote desirable chemical reactions in food. Rennet, for example, is an enzyme used to form the curd in cheese making.
- Ge - Gelling Agents
- are used to thicken and stabilize various foods. The agents provide the foods with texture through formation of a gel. Some stabilizers and thickening agents are gelling agents.
- GP - Glazing and Polishing Agents
- make food surfaces shiny and in some cases offer protection from spoiling. They are used mainly in candies.
- H - Humectants
- keep foods moist as in shredded coconut and marshmallows.
- P - Preservatives
- are used to prevent or delay undesirable spoilage in food, caused by microbial growth or enzymatic and chemical actions. Antimicrobial agents prevent the growth of moulds, yeast, or bacteria in foods. Antioxidants slow down the process of fats turning rancid and frozen fruits turning brown.
- Pd - Pressure-Dispensing Agents
- act as propellants to dispense foods such as whipped toppings from aerosol containers.
- pH - pH-Adjusting Agents
- reduce, increase, or maintain the acidity of food which can affect microbiological quality, cooking results, flavour and texture. Some are also components of leavening agents which make baked products light and fluffy.
- R - Release Agents
- help food separate from surfaces during or after manufacturing. Mineral oil, for example, is applied to baking pans and facilitates the removal of baked goods without sticking or crumbling.
- S - Sequestering Agents
- combine with metallic elements in food, thereby preventing their taking part in reactions leading to colour or flavour deterioration. For example, the addition of a sequestrant to canned lima beans prevents darkening of the product because the iron ions and other trace metals in the canning water are bound by the additive and consequently are unavailable for other reactions.
- Sm - Starch-Modifying Agents
- alter the property of starch in order to enable it to withstand heat processing and freezing and thus maintain the appearance and consistency of foods.
- St - Stabilizers
- help keep suspended food particles from separating and settling to the bottom, such as the chocolate in chocolate milk.
- Sw - Sweeteners
- are substances used to sweeten foods other than conventional nutritive sweeteners such as sucrose, fructose, or glucose. They often sweeten without appreciably contributing to a food's caloric value.
- Th - Thickening Agents
- are used to adjust the consistency of processed products. When added to the mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties. They provide body, increase stability, and improve suspending action.
- Tm - Texture-Modifying Agents
- contribute or maintain desirable consistency in foods.
- W - Whipping Agents
- assist in the production and maintenance of stable whipped products.
- X - Miscellaneous Agents
- include a variety of other food additives, such as carbonating agents in soft drinks, plasticizing agents in gum, filtering and clarifying agents in beer, deodorizing agents in fats and oils, foaming agents in beverages, and tableting aids.
- Yf - Yeast Foods
- are substances that serve as nutrients for yeasts such as those used in the manufacture of beer and in the making of bread.
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