ABSTRACT
The use of food additives is one of the most debated subjects related to the food supply. It is also one of the issues least understood by the consumers and one of the most difficult to regulate, mainly because absolute food safety is not possible to demonstrate. Clydesdale and Francis (1) defined food additive as any minor ingredient added to a food to bring about some technical effect. In a broad sense, it may also include compounds unintentionally added during the pro duction, distribution, and/or processing of food, barring those that may appear in foods acciden tally. The term food additive, however, does not include compounds such as pesticides, color additives, new animal drugs, or substances used in accordance with a sanction or approval granted prior to effective date of the food additives amendment to the existing laws in 1958. According to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (U.S. Code, Section 321), legally a food additive is a substance, “the intended use of which results or may be reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristic of any food,” with certain exceptions. Excluded from the requirements of this act are substances that are gen erally recognized by food experts to be safe under the conditions of their intended use. These sub stances are commonly referred to as GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) substances that have been used in foods over long periods without adverse effects and that are considered harmless by qualified scientists. Food additives have important uses in foods from a flavor, color, appearance, preservative, and economic point of view. They help to provide better food at lower price for more people and at minimum risk. The major categories of food additives include preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, emulsifiers and stabilizers, antioxidants, flour improvers, and processing aids such as acids, acidity regulators, humactants, gelling agents, and antifoaming agents (2,3).
