Food Additives are chemical synthetic or natural substances added to food to improve the quality of food and color, aroma and taste, as well as for preservation and processing technology needs. At present, there are more than 20 categories and 2,000 varieties of food additives in China, including acidity regulators, anticaking agents, antifoaming agents, antioxidants, bleaching agents, bulking agents, coloring agents, color protectors, enzyme preparations, Flavor Enhancer, campf fortifiers, Preservatives, sweeteners, thickeners, spices, and so on.
1.Chemical bulking agent
Chemical bulking agents, also known as synthetic swelling agents, are generally carbonates . Phosphates, ammonium salts and alums and their complexes, this type of food additives are able to produce gas, there is a certain acidity and alkalinity in the solution. With chemical bulking agents, no fermentation time is required. However, their effect is weaker than that of yeast puffing, and they also lack flavor and have the problem of residual special aftertastes, such as hydrogen flavor.
2. Biological bulking agent (yeast)
Yeast is some unicellular fungi, and not a unit of systematic evolutionary classification. Yeast is the history of human civilization has been applied to retreat early microorganisms, can survive in anoxic environments. Yeasts are widespread in nature, growing mainly in acidic, moist, sugary environments, and are important in winemaking.
The fermentation process of yeast is the conversion of carbohydrates into carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. As a result of the carbon dioxide produced, the dough puffs up and increases in volume. In addition to this, the enzymes in the alcoholic mother and the starch proteins in the dough undergo complex changes during the fermentation process, and the products can increase the elasticity and elongation of the gluten, improve the gas-holding capacity of the gluten, and also give the product a characteristic fermented flavor. Yeast can also increase the nutritional value of food. Currently commonly used yeast are fresh yeast, active dry yeast (i.e., fuming dry yeast), liquid yeast and live to special requirements of high sugar yeast or low sugar yeast.
3.Other types
(1) Acidifier
The main acidic agent commonly used in pastry is cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is an acidic white powder, belonging to the food additive category. Cake room in the cake production with the addition of the main purpose of the cream of tartar is to help protein whipping and neutralize the alkaline protein, because the alkaline protein is very strong, and the longer the egg is stored, the more alkaline protein, so a large number of egg white to do the production of food with alkaline taste and color with yellow, with the addition of cream of tartar not only neutralize the alkaline taste, the products will be whiter in color.
(2) Food preservatives
Food preservatives are additives that can prevent spoilage caused by microorganisms and prolong the shelf life of food, and are also known as anti-microbial agents because they prevent microbial reproduction that causes food poisoning. Preservatives in the use of the process should be evenly dispersed in the food, so as to avoid part of the phenomenon of too little or too much, such as the need for several preservatives used at the same time its spoon must be in line with the use of standards, to be experienced, the ratio is reasonable.
(3) Emulsifier
Emulsifier is able to improve the surface tension between the various components of the emulsion, so that the formation of a uniform and stable dispersion system or emulsion of substances. Emulsifier is a surface-active substances, molecules with both hydrophilic and lipophilic groups, it is tightly set in the oil, water interface, can reduce the interfacial tension and reduce the formation of emulsions need to be able to show, so as to improve the energy of the emulsion.
Emulsifier and starch combination can prevent aging, improve product texture: interaction with protein, enhance the network structure of the dough, strengthen the gluten network, enhance the toughness and resistance, so that the protein has the elasticity, increase the volume; change the most material structure of the Pu knot: stabilization of air bubbles and inflatable role: to reduce the surface tension of liquids and solids, so that the liquid quickly diffused to the surface of the whole, is an effective lubricant: break the emulsion defoamer; to improve the stability of the emulsion. Stability. Emulsifiers can stabilize the physical state of food, improve food organization, simplify and control food processing, improve flavor, texture, improve food quality, widely used in baking, cold drinks, confectionery and other food industries.
(4) Sweetener
Sweeteners are food additives that can give soft drinks a sweet taste. Sweeteners can be divided into nutritive sweeteners and non-nutritive sweeteners according to their nutritional value; can be divided into low sweetness sweeteners and high sweetness sweeteners according to their sweetness; can be divided into natural sweeteners and synthetic sweeteners according to their source.
(5) Bread improver
Bread improver is generally composed of emulsifiers, oxidizing agents, enzymes, inorganic salts and fillers, etc. Compound food additives, used in the production of bread, can promote the bread softness and increase the elasticity of the bread baking, and effectively delay the aging of the bread and so on. In the process of using bread improver, we should pay attention to the use of ingredients and the amount of mastery. Bread government improver can effectively improve the stability of the dough in the production process, such as improving the mixing performance of the dough and improve the stability of the dough in the fermentation process, etc.; Secondly, the bread improver will improve the dough of the human oven puffing service, so that the volume of bread to increase, and improve the internal fine weaving uniformity; Thirdly, the bread improver will keep the bread for a long time of the dish soft performance, i.e., delayed starch aging regeneration effect.
(6) Thickening agent
Thickener is a food additive, mainly used to improve and increase the viscosity of food, to maintain the flow of food, jelly food color, aroma, taste and stability, to improve the physical properties of food, and can make the food have a lubricating and palatable feeling.
(7) Food flavor
Edible flavors is a reference to the fragrance of natural foods, the use of natural and natural equivalents of spices, synthetic tongues carefully blended with a natural flavor of a variety of flavors, including fruits water and oil, dairy, home away from the class, meat, vegetables, nuts, honey line, emulsification, and alcohol and other kinds of flavors for beverages, cookies, pastries, frozen foods, confectionery, spices, dairy products, canned food, Wine and other food products. The dosage forms of edible flavors include liquid, powder, microcapsule and paste.