EFFECTS OF FOOD ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES ON HEALTH

EFFECTS OF FOOD ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES ON HEALTH

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 like Cloridium spp, Bacillucereu and S aphylococcu aureu.  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.

INTRODUCTION

Food  additives  are  substances  that  food  manufacturers intentionally  add  to  food  in  small  quantity  during  production or  processing  to  improve  the  organoleptics  of  the  food (Winter, 1994). They help to increase the shelf life of the food by  maintaining  product  consistency,  wholesomeness  and freshness.  They  make  possible  an  array  of  convenient  food without  the  stress  of  daily  shopping  or  cooking.  The  food additives must  be added  in regulated quantities, concentration and  should  be  within  the  acceptable  daily  intakes  (ADIs) above  which  they  can  have  some  devastating  effects  on the  consumer.  This  definition  includes  any  substance used  in  the  production,  processing,  treatment,  packaging, transportation or storage of  food (Kunkel and  Barbara, 2004). Food  additives are also  substances  added  to  food  to p reserve flavour  or  enhance its  taste  and  appearance.  Some  additives have  been  used  for  centuries,  for  example,  preserving  food b y  pickling (preserving with vinegar), salting,  as with  bacon and  preserving  sweets  or  using  sulfur dioxide  as  in  some wines.  With  the  advent  of  processed  foods  in  the  second half  of  the  20th century,  many  more  additives  have  been introduced,  of  both  natural  and  artificial  origin.Food  Additives  are  defined  by  the  United  States  Food  and Drug  Administration(FDA,  1993)  as  any substance,  the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result,  directly or indirectly,  in  its  becoming a  component  or otherwise  affecting  the  characteristics  of  any  food .  In  other words,  an  additive  is  any  substance  that  is  added  to  food.

 Food  additives  are  also  defined  as  chemical  substances deliberately  added  to  foods,  directly  or  indirectly  in  known quantities for purposes of assisting in the processing of foods; preservation of  foods; or in improving the  flavour, texture, or appearance of foods (Daniel, 2007).Food  additives  can  be  used  directly or  indirectly.  Direct additives  are  those  that  are  intentionally added to foods for a specific  purpose  while  indirect  additives  are  those  to  which the  food  is  exposed  during  processing,  packaging,  or  storing. If a substance is added  to  a food  for  a specific  purpose,  it  is  referred   to  as  a  direct additive.  For  example,  the  low-calorie  sweetener  aspartame, which  is  used  in  beverages,  puddings,  yoghurt,  chewing gum  and other  foods,  is  considered  a direct  additive.  Many direct  additives  are  identified  o n  the  ingredient  label  of foods. Indirect  food  additives  are  those  that  become  part  of the  food  in trace  amounts  during  packaging, storage  or handling. For examples some colourants like erythrosine (red), cantaxanthin  (orange)  and  annatto  bixine  (yellow  orange) gives  an  appealing  look  to  foods  that  attracts consumers  to them  even  though  they don’t  add  nutrient  to  the  food. 

For instance,  minute  amounts  of  packaging  substances  may  find their  way  into  foods  during  storage. Food preservative is a class of food additive that help to prevent food spoilage by disrupting the food of any pathogenic microorganisms  like Cloridia spp, Bacillu cereu , S aphylococcu aureu and  other  microorganisms.  Food preservatives preserve food by bringing down the pH and also stabilizing  the redox  potential  of  the  food  so  as  to  make  the environment  unfavourable  for  microbes  to  strive.  Food additives are  grouped  into two according  to  their  source;  the natural  and  the  synthetic. 

The  natural  ones  are  derived  from natural sources like plants, animals and minerals.

Some  examples  of  natural  food  additives  are;  soybeans  and corn which are used to maintain food consistency; beets which provide  beet  powder is used  sometimes as a colouring  agents and caramel that is derived from caramelized sugar is used  as a colouring  agents.

 The  synthetic  food  additives  are  those  that are  manufactured  from  one  or  several  chemical  sub stances through  synthetic  methods.

Some  of  the  synthetics  food additives  are;  aspartame  which  is  derived  from  aspartic  acid (C4H5O4NH2) is used  in food  preservation, Erythrosine which is the disodium salt of 2, 4, 5,7 -tetraiodofluorescein is used as a colouring   agent  and  Tartarzine  which  is  Trisodium  (4 E)-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-[(4-sulfonatophenyl)  hydrazono]-3 -Pyrazo lecarboxylate  is  used  as  a  colouring  agent.  Various research work has revealed that majority of the food additives used  by manufacturers  have  adverse effects on the consumer. Nowadays, most  people  tend  to  eat  the  ready-made  foods available  in the  market, rather than preparing  them at home. Such  foods  contain  some kind  of  additives and preservatives, so  that  their  quality  and  flavour  is  maintained and  they  are not  spoiled  by  bacteria and  yeasts.  More  than 3000 additives and  preservatives  are  available in  the  market,  which are used as  antioxidants  and  antimicrobial  agents.

 Some  of  the commonly  used  food additives  and  preservatives  are

Aluminum  silicate,  amino  acid compounds,  ammonium carbonates, sodium  nitrate,  propylgallate, butylated  hydrozyl toluene  (BHT), butylated  hydroxyanisole  (BHA), monosodium  g lutamate, white sugar, salt, potassium  bromate, potassium  sorbate  and  sodium  benzoate.  Some  Artificial colours are  also added to the  foods to give them an appealing look.  Some  of  these  colouring  substances  are  erythrosine (red),  cantaxanthin  (orange),  amaranth  (Azoic  red), tartrazine (Azoic  yellow)  and  annatto bixine  (yellow  orange).

When  the   food   is   to   be   stored for   a   prolonged  period, use    of additives  and  preservatives  is  essential  in  order  to maintain  its  quality,  wholesomeness,  taste,appearance  and flavour.  The  excess  water in  the  foods  can  cause  the  growth and proliferation  of bacteria, fungi  and  yeasts and hence food spoilage.  Use  of  additives  and  preservatives  prevents spoiling  of  the foods due to the  growth of  bacteria and fungi.

Additives  and  preservatives  Maintain  the  quality  and consistency of  the foods.  They  also   maintain  palatability  and wholesomeness of the food, improve or maintain its nutritional value, control  appropriate  pH,  provide leavening and  colour, and enhance its flavour.

Classifications of Food Additives

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

Antimicrobial  agents:  These  prevent spoilage  o f  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 .

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  sho uld  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.  Thiodipropionic  acid  and  dilauryl thiodipropionate are also used as food anti-oxidants. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has recently considered the Acceptable  Daily  Intakes  (ADls)  of  BHA  and BHT and set them at 0-0.5 mg/kg body weight for BHA and 0-0.3  mg/kg  body weight  for  BHT.  Naturally  occurring substances  that  act  as  anti-oxidants  are  tocopherols.  The tocophero is act to as biological anti-oxidants in plant and animal tissues, but they  are  rarely used as additives because  they are more  expensive  than  synthetic  anti-oxidants.

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. One of the best known and most widespread red  pigments  is  bixin,  derived  from  the  seed  coat  of  Bixa orellana,  the  lipstick  pod  plant  of  South  American  origin. Bixin is  not considered  to  be  carcinogenic.  The  major  use  of this  plant o n a  world-wide  basis,  however,  is for  the  annatto dye,  a  yellow  to  red  colouring  material  extracted  from  the orange-red  pulp  of  the  seeds.  Annatto  has been  used  as colouring matter in butter, cheese, margarine, and other foods. Another yellow colour, a carotene derived from carrot, is used in  margarine.  Saffron  has  both  flavouring  and  colouring properties and has been used  for  colouring foods. Turmeric  is a spice that gives the characteristic colour of curries and some meat  products  and  salad  dressings.  A  natural  red  colour, cochineal (or carnum)  obtained by  extraction from  the female insect (Coccus  cacti),  grape  skin  extract, and  caramel,  the brown  colour obtained  from  burnt  sugar,  are  some natural colours that  are used  as  food  additives. These  are  intended  to make food more appealing  and  to  provide certain foods  with a  colour that humans associate  with  a  particular flavo ur (e.g. red  for  cherry,  green  for lime).  Some  examples  o f  food colourants are;  erythrosine,  carmosine. Colour  additives are  recognized as  an important  part of many foods we eat.

Bleaching  agents:  These  are peroxides,  which  are  used  to whiten foods  such  as  wheat  flour  and  cheese.

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. Calcium disodium EDTA and disodium EDTA  have  been  approved  for  use  as  food  additives by  the United  States  Food  and  Drug  Administration.  The  chelating agents are used to prevent discolouration, flavour changes, and rancidity  that  might  occur  during  the  processing  of  foods, examples  include  citric  acid,  malic  acid,  and  tartaric  acid

Nutrient  Supplements:  Nutrient supplements  restore  values lost in processing or storage, or ensure highernutritional 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.

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  sub stance 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  o f  any  such deterioration. It is estimated that nearly one fifth of the world’s food  is  lost  by  microbial  spoilage.  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. The safe-use period of many foods is greatly extended through the addition of  preservatives,  which retard  spoilage,  preserve  flavour  and colour and keep oils from turning rancid. Preservatives protect foods, such as cured meats, from developing dangerous toxins, such  as  botulism,  a  food  poisoning  illness.

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.

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.

Antifoaming  agents: Antifoaming  agents  reduce  or  prevent foaming in foods.

Bulking  agents:  Bulking  agents  such as  starch  are  additives that  increase the  bulk  of  a  food  without  affecting its nutritional value.

Colour  retention  agents:  In  contrast  to  colouring  agents, colour  retention  agents  are  used  to  preserve a  food’s existing colour.

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.  They  are  widely  used  in  dairy  and confectionery  products  to  disperse  tiny  globules  of  an  oil  or fatty  liquid  in  water.  Emulsifying  agents  are  also added  to margarine,  salad  dressings,  and  shortenings.  Peanut butter contains up to  10 per cent emulsifiers.  Emulsifiers also  allow water  and  oil  to remain  mixed together in  an  emulsion,as  in mayo nnaise,  ice  cream,  and  homogenized  milk.

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  themselves  but  they amplify the flavours  of  other substance through  a  synergistic effect.  Flavour  and  flavour  enhancers  constitute  thelargestclass o f  food  additives.  Natural  flavours  are  substances,  such as spices, herbs, roots, and essential oils, have been used in the past as flavour additives. The flavours  are in short supply and the amount of flavour substances in them is very tiny. It would take about tone of many  spices to produce  1g of the flavour substances,  and  in  some  cases  only  0.1g  can  be extracted. Natural  food  flavours  are thus  being  replaced  by  synthetic flavour materials. The agents responsible for flavour are esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and ethers. These substances are easily synthesized  and  can  be  easily  substituted  for  natural ones.  Typical  of  the  synthetic  flavour  additives  are amyl acetate  for  banana,  methyl anthranilate  for  grapes,  ethyl butyrate for pineapple, etc. Generally,  most synthetic  flavours are mixtures of a number of different substances. For example, one  imitation  cherry  flavour  contains  fifteen  different  esters, alcohols,  and aldehydes. One of the  best known, most widely used  and  somewhat  controversial  flavour  enhancer  is monosodium  glutamate  (MSG),  the  sodium  salt  of  the naturally  occurring  amino  acid  glutamic  acid  which  can  be produced  by  the  bacteria Corynebacerium  gluanicum Professor  Kikunae  Ikeda from the imperial university isolated glutamic acid  as  a  new  taste  substance  in 1908  from  the seaweed  Laminaria  japonica,  Ko mbu  by  aqueous  extraction and crystallization and named it  umani. He  named  this product  monosodium glutamate and  submitted a  patent  to  produce  MSG  (Ikeda,  1908).  Suzuki  brothers started the first commercial production of MSG in 1909 as Aji-No-Moto meaning  essence to taste  in English (Chiaki, 2009; Yamaguchi,  1998  and  Kurihara,  2009).  MSG  is  now manufactured  on  a  large  scale  all  over  the  world,  and especially  in Japan  with  several  trade  names  as  Ac’cent, Aji-No-Moto  and  Vetsin.  As  a flovour  and  in  the  right  amount, MSG  can  enhance  other  taste-active  compounds,  improving the overall taste of certain foods.MSG  mixes  well  with  meat,  fish, poultry,  many  vegetable, sauces, soups  and  marinades.  Since  MSG  mixes  well  with many  foods,  it  can  also  increase  the  overall  preference  of certain foods like beef consommé.

MSG is generally recognized  as  safe.  However,  it  was  reported  some time  back that  MSG  injected to  young mice resulted  in brain damage.  Also,  some  individuals experience  symptoms  often comparable  to  those  of  heart  attack, when  served  with  food containing large amounts  of  MSG.  The  matter  has now been thoroughly investigated, and it has been concluded that there is no  risk in its use.  However,  MSG  which  was being  ad ded  to baby  foods  is now discontinued,  as  its  benefits  to  babies  are dubious.  Flavour  enhancers  enhance  a  food’s  existing flavours. They may be extracted from natural sources (through distillation,  solvent  extraction,  maceration,  among  other methods) or created artificially.

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 do ugh  that  produces  poor bread.  Both the  colour  and  baking properties  improve  by  storing  the  flour  for  severalmonths before making bread. Chemical agents used as flour improvers are oxidizing agents,  which may participate in bleaching only, in  both  bleaching  and dough  improvement,  or  in  dough improvement  only.  The  agent  that  is  used  only  for  flour bleaching  is benzoyl peroxide  ((C6H5CO2).This  does  not influence  the  quality  of  dough.  Materials  used  both  for bleaching  and  improving  are  chlorine  gas,  (Cl2);  chlorine dioxide, (CIO2); nitrosyl chloride, (NOCI); and nitrogen di and tetra  oxides,  (NO2 and N2O4). Oxidizing  agents  used  only  for dough improvement  are  potassium  bro mate, (KBrO3); potassium iodate,  (KIO3); Calcium iodate,  [Ca(IO3)2];  and calcium peroxide, (CaO2).

Glazing  agents:  Glazing  agents provide  a  shiny  appearance or protective coating to foods.

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.  They  also  help  improve  the  rehydration  of dehydrated  food  and  solubilization  of  flavour  compounds. Polyhydroxy alcohols are water soluble, hygroscopic materials which exhibit moderate viscosities at high concentrations in water and  are used  as humectants in fo ods. Some of them are propylene  glycol (CH3.CHOH.CH2OH),  glycero l, and  sorbitol and mannitol [CH2 OH (CHOH)4 CH2OH]. Polyhydric alcohols are  sugar derivatives  and  most  of  them,  except  propylene glycol, occur naturally.

Tracer  gas:  Tracer  gas  allows  for  package  integrity  testing preventing  foods  from  being  exposed  to  atmosphere,  thus guaranteeing shelf life.1q Stabilizers  and  Thickeners:  These  compound s  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.  Gelatin  is  one  non-carbohydrate  material  used extensively  for  this  purpose.

Stabilizers and thickeners are hydrophilic and are dispersed  in solution as colloids. These swell in hot or even cold water and help  thicken food.  Gravies,  pie  fillings,  cake  toppings, chocolate  milk  drinks,  jellies, puddings  and  salad  dressings, are  some  among  the  many  foods  that  contain  stabilizers  and thickeners.  Thickeners  are  added  to  the  mixture;  increase  its viscosity  without  substantially  modifying  its  other properties .

 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  beelevated.

Artificial  flavours  and  flavour enhancers :  These  are  the largest class  of  additives;  its  function  is  to make  food  taste better,  or  to  give  them  a  specific  taste.  Examples  are  salt, sugar, and  vanilla, which are  used to  complement  the  flavour of  certain foods.  Synthetic  flavouring  agents,  such  as benzaldehyde  for  cherry  or  almond  flavour,  may  be  used  to simulate  natural  flavours.  Flavour  enhancers,  such  as monosodium glutamate (MSG) help to intensify the flavour of other compounds in a food.

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. The nitrite, when added to meat, gets converted to nitric oxide, which  combines  with  myoglobin  to form  nitric  oxide myoglobin  (nitrosyl myoglobin),  which  is  a  heat-stable pigment.  The  curing  also  contributes flavour  to  the  meat.  In addition, nitrite curing inhibits  the growth of Cloridium and S repococcu , and also lowers the temperature required to kill Cloridium boulinum .

Other  Additives: There  are  a  number of  food  additives that provide functions other than  those indicated  above.

Clarifying agents  like  bentonite,  gelatins,  synthetic  resins  (polyamides and  poly  vinyl  pyrrolidone)  are  used  to  remove  haziness  or sediments  and  oxidative  deterioration products in  fruit juices, beers and  wines. Enzymes are added  to bring  about desirablechanges;  rennin  for  producing  curd and  cheese,  papain  for tenderizing meat,  and  pectinase  for  clarifying beverages. Firming agents like aluminium sulphates and calcium slats are used to keep the tissues of fruits and vegetables crisp. Freezing agents like liquid nitrogen and dichloro fluoro methane, which are  extremely  volatile  and  rapidly  evaporate  at  ordinary temperatures,  are  used  to  chill  foods. Solvents  like  alcohol, propylene glycol and glycerine are used to dissolve suspended flavours, colours,  and  many  other  ingredients. Packing gases, such as inert gases like Helium,  Neon are added to packets of instant  foods  to  prevent  oxidative  and  many  other changes.

E-Numbering

To regulate these food  additives, and inform consumers about the nature of the  additives, each additive  is assigned a unique number termed as  E-numbers  which is used  in Europe for all approved  additives.  E-numbers  are all  prefixed  by  E   but countries outside  Europe  useonly  the  number  whether  the additives  is  approved  in  Europe  or  not.  For  example, aceticacid  is  written  as  E260   on  products sold  in  Europe,  but  is simply  known as  additives  260  in  some  other countries. Additives  103,  alkanet,  is not  approved  for  use  in  Europe  so does not have an E-number,  although it is approved for use in Australia  and New  Zealand  since  1987. Australia has  had  an approved  system  of labeling  for  additives  in packaged  foods. Each  food  additive  has  to  be named  or  numbered.  The numbers arethe same as in Europe, but without theprefix ‘E’.

Some  E-number  for  some food  additives  are;  Tartrazine (E102),  Quinoline  Yellow  (E104 ),  Carmosine (E12 2)  and Amaranth (E123).

Food Preservatives

A Preservative is a natural occurring or synthetically produced substance  that  is  added  to  products  such  as  foods, pharmaceuticals,  paints,  biological  samples,  woods,  etc.  to prevent  decomposition by microbial growth or byundesirable chemical changes. Preservatives can be divided into two types, depending  on  their.  Class  Ipreservatives  refer  to  those preservative  which  are  naturally  occurring,  everyday substances, examples  include  salt,  honey  and  wood  smokes (ANON,  2013)  Class  II  preservatives  refer  to  preservative which  are  synthetically  manufactured.  Food  Preservative  can b e  used  alone  or  in  conjunction  with  other  methods  of preservation.  Food  preservatives  are  often  added  to  food  to prevent  their  spoilage,  or  to retain  their nutritional  value  and /or favour for a longer period. The basic  approach  is to eliminate  microorganisms  from  the food and  prevent  their  growth.  This achieved  by  methods  such  as high concentration  of salt  or  reducing  the  water  content,  this inhibits  spoilage  of the  food  item  by  microbial  growth. Preservatives  may  be  antimicrobial  preservatives,  which inhibit  the  growth of  bacteria  or  fungi,  including  mold ,or antioxidants  such  as  oxygen  absorbers,  which  inhibit  the oxidation of  food  constituents.  Common antimicrobial preservatives  include calcium  propionate,  sodium  nitrite (and sodium  nitrate  which  converts  to sodium  in  situ),  sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium  bisulfite,  potassiumhydrogen  sulfite, etc.) and disodium EDTA (Dalton, 2002 and Dalton, 2002).

The benefits and safety of  many artificial food additives (including preservatives) is  the  subject  of debate among academics and regulators specializing  in  food science,  toxicology,  and food  microbiology.  Natural  substances  such  as salt,  sugar, vinegar,  alcohol,  and diatomaceous  earth  are  also   used as traditional  preservatives.  Smoking salting  and  drying  have been  used since  prehistoric  time  to  preserve food.  Processes such as  freezing  and pickling  arealso used to  preserve food. Another  group  of  preservatives targets  enzymes in  fruits  and vegetables that continue to metabolize after they  are  cut.  For instance,  citric  and ascorbic  acids from lemon or other citrus juice  can  inhibit  the  action  of the  enzyme  phenolase  which turns surfaces  of  cut apples  and  potatoes brown. Most  food s contain  enzymes or  natural  chemicals,  such  as  acids or alcohols  that  cause  them  to  begin to  lose  desirable characteristics almost  immediately  after  harvest  or preparation. A host o f environmental factors, such as heat and the presence of  microorganisms  are known to act and  change foodstuffs in  ways  thatmay  harm the  food product and makethem  unacceptable  for  consumption.  Food  preservation traditionally  has  three  goals  namely  the  preservation  of nutritional  characteristics,  the preservation  of  appearance, and a prolongation of  the time that the food can be stored.

Traditional  methods  of preservation  usually  aim  to  exclude air, moisture,  and  microorganisms,  or to  provide environments  in  which organisms  that  might  cause  spoilage cannot  survive  (Daniel,  2007).  Among the  earliest preservatives  were  sugar and  salt  (NaCl),  which  produced food environments  of  high  osmotic  pressure  that  denied bacteria  the aqueous  surroundings  they  needed   to  live  and reproduce.  Jams  and  jellies  are  preserved  as  solutions  of high sugar  content, and  many meats  (e.g.,hams) and  fish are still preserved by salting. Unlike other microorganisms, molds  can  often  withstand  the  effects  of  high  salt  or  sugar concentrations in  foods.  Fortunately,  they  seldom cause illness.  Early  methods of air removal included  the  sealing  of foods inside  containers  (such  as  jars),  or  the  covering  of food  surfaces  with hot paraffin.  The  invention  of  canning by Nicolas Appert enabled commercial preparations of foodstuffs.  In  response  to  a  prize  offered b y  Napoleon  in 1795, Appert developed a  method of canning and preserving fruits andvegetables in glass containers for sea voyages. His process was used commercially in 1910 by Peter Durand in England, using metal cans. During the earliest  days  of  canning,  some  persons  (including some  Arctic  explorers) probably died   as  a  result  of exposure to  the  lead  that  was  once  used  to  solder  cans.  Modern techniques of air removal include  vacuum sealing and  the use of  plastic wrappings. 

Chemical  preservatives include  free radical  scavengers  (also  known  as  antioxidants),  such  as vitamin  C  and  compounds  such  as BHA  (butylated hydroxyanisole),  and  bacterial  growth  inhibitors,  such  as benzoic  acid,  sulfur  dioxide,  and  sodium    nitrite    (NaNO2). Ethanol  (CH3CH2OH)  has  long  been  used  as  a  preservative, both  of  itself  (as  in wine),  and  of  other  foods  (e.g.  fruits stored  in  brandy). 

Some  chemical preservatives  may  be harmful:  Sulfur dioxide  (often  used   to  preservewines)  is irritating  to the  bronchial tubes of persons  who  have asthma, and  nitrites  have  been  implicated  as carcinogens. The  irradiation of foods has the advantage of enabling food packaging and preparation in  which there is less  person-to-food contact, thus decreasing thepossibility  of contamination and  decreasing  the need   for chemical preservatives, some of  which  may  be  harmful.  The ionizing  radiation that  is  used  to  irradiate  foods,  wherein  the foods are exposed to bursts of high -intensity x-rays or streams o f  electrons,  disrupts  bacterial  DNA.  Some  persons  have objected to  the irradiation o f foods because of an (unfounded) fear of  radioactivity. As  pathogens such as virulent strains of coliform  bacteria  have  caused  food  poisoning, the irradiation o f animal carcasses and, in particular, of  hamburger during its preparation  has  become  more desirable.  Irradiation  currently extends the shelf life o f foods such as strawberries. Irradiation does  not  make  foods  radioactive,  but  may cause  changes  in food color or texture.

Advantages of Food Additives and Preservatives

Food  additives  play  a  vital  role  in today’s  food  supply. They allow our growing urban population to have a variety of foods  year-round  and,  they  make  possible  an  array  o f  foods without  the  inconvenience  of daily  shopping. Food  additives perform a variety of  useful functions  in  foods that  are  often taken  for  granted.  Since  most  people  no  longer  live  on farms,  additives  help  keep  food  wholesome  and   appealing while en-route to markets sometimes thousands of  miles away from  where  it  is  grown or  manufactured .  Additives  also improve the nutritional value  of  certain foods  and  can  make them  more appealing  by  improving  their  taste, texture, consistency  or  colour.  The  importance  of preserving food is that, it lengthens the shelf life of a food and it  slows  down the  spoilage  of  food  which  is  caused by microorganisms present in the container or the hands that held it before putting it inside a  container. The importance o f food preservation is so that the  food cannot  be  spoilt o r  can cause illness.  Although  preservatives are  essential  to  maintain  food safety, too  much  of  a  good  thing  is  not health y.  Besides allergies,  these  foods  may  cause  stomach  pains, vomiting, breathing  problems, hives and skin rashes. Some of the worst additives include  benzoates,  which  can  cause skin  rashes, asthma  and  perhaps brain  damage.  Bromates  can  cause nausea  and  diarrhea.  Saccharin  may lead  to  toxic  reactions that  impact the  gastrointestinal  tract  and  heart, as  well  as cause  tumors  and  bladder cancer. 

Red  Dye  40  may  result  in certain birth  defects.  Sodium  chloride can  lead  to  high blood pressure,kidney  failure,  stroke  and  heart  attack.

Additives are used  in foods for five main reasons:

To maintain product consistency :  Emulsifiers give products a  consistent  texture  and  prevent  them  from  separating. Stabilizers and  thickeners give smooth uniform texture.  Anti-cakingagents help substances such as salt to flow freely.

To  improve  o r  maintain  nutritional  value: Vitamins  and minerals  are  added to  many  common  foods  such  as milk, flour,  cereal and  margarine  to make  up  for  those likely to  be lacking in  a  person’s  diet  or  lost  in processing.  Such fortification  and enrichment  has  helped  reduce malnutrition amo ng  the  U.S. population.  All  products  containing  added nutrients must be appropriately labeled.

To  maintain palatability  and  wholesomeness: Preservatives retard product spoilage caused b y  mold, air,bacteria, fungi or yeast.  Bacterial contamination  can  cause  food  borne illness, including  life-threatening botulism. Antioxidants  are preservatives  that  prevent  fats  and  oils  in  baked  goods  and other  food s  from  becoming  rancid  or  developing an  off-flavour.  They  also  prevent  cut  fresh  fruits  such  as  apples from turning brown when exposed to air.

To  provide  leavening  or  control  acidity/alkalinity: Leavening  agents  that  release  acids  when  heated  can  react with  baking  soda  to  help  cakes, biscuits  and  other  baked goods  torise  during   baking.  Other  additives help  to  modify the acidity and alkalinity of  foods for proper flavour, taste andcolour.

To enhance flavour or impact desired colour :  Many spices, natural  and synthetic  flavours  enhances  the  taste of  foods. Colours, for instance help toenhance the appearance of certain foods to meet consumer expectations.

To maintain product consistency and quality: They help to improve  or maintain  nutritional  value,  maintain palatability and  wholesomeness, provide  leavening,  control  pH, enhance flavor, or provide colour.

Food Additives and Malnutrition

One  important  risk  posed  by  additives  is  the  loss  of  the nutritional  value  of  food s,  which  can  result  in inappropriate diets  and  subclinical  malnutrition.  The  wide  use  of  food additives can contribute to malnutrition in the following ways; the common factor in most foods  containing additives is  high salt,  sucrose  and  fat content.  Pure  sucrose,  by  definition,contains literally  no  nutrients, only calories; fat,  on  the  other hand, contains  few  nutrients  and  is  very high  in  calories.  In addition,  foods containing  additives  are  mainly processedfoods,  which  have  lost  a substantial  proportion  of  their nutritional  value  through  theprocessing  procedure. Even  though  some  vitamins  and/or minerals  are sometimes  added to some foods after processing, the  ratio of essential nutrients  to calories  is usually still  quite inadequate, resulting in a  high calorie,  but  a low  nutritional, intake.  This type  of  diet,  because  of the  high  calorie  and  lo w  nutritional content, can result in less than optimum nutrition and therefore subclinical and/or marginal malnutrition.

Effect of Food Additives and Preservatives

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.  Long-term  effects may  increase  one’s  risk of  cancer, cardiovascular  disease  and  other degenerative conditions.  Some modern synthetic  preservatives  have becomecontroversial because they  have  been shown  to  cause respiratory or  other  health problems.  Some  studies  point  to synthetic  preservatives  and artificial colouring  agents  aggravating  ADD  &ADHD symptoms  in  those  affected. Parental reports were mo re accurate indicators of the  presence o f  additives  than clinical  tests.  Allergic preservatives  in  food  or  medicine  can  cause an  anaphylactic shock  in susceptible  individuals,  a  condition which  is  often fatal  within minutes without emergency treatment. It isalmost a certainty that few really  knowwhat it is, that is part of their foodstuffs,and yet may present threats and danger.

Essentially, there  are  two  main sources  of  dangerous  or  threatening additives.  The  first  is  those  that  are put  in  as  part  of  the processing  operation.  These  include  the colourings, preservatives,  flavours  and flavour  enhancers,  sweeteners, texture agents and processing agents. Details of these must be included on  the labeling and  can  be  identified with a little knowledge      and      some  attention  to  the  information provided by the manufacturer. The second source of additives to  our  food  is  from packaging,  storing  and  handling  of food and these information are not normally included on the label of the food. Food that has no additives at all is to be preferred, most  especially  if  it  is to  be  used  to  feed  children.  Many foods   available   in   the  market  contain different types of preservatives. These  chemicals can  give  rise to certain  health problems. Additives  consistently  maintain  the high  quality  of  foods. Food preservatives  are  the  additives  that are  used  to  inhibit the growth of bacteria, molds and yeasts in  the food.

Some of the additives are manufactured  from  the  natural  sources  such as  corn,  beet  and  soybean,  while  some  are  artificial,man-made  additives.  Many  people  are allergic  tocertain  food additives  or colours.  When  someone  has  a  reaction  after eating  certain  foods,  an allergy is  suspected.  Unfortunately, some people  do not  have  a  reaction until  a  day  or  two  later, so  it  is difficult to know what is causing the problem. When a certain food additive  is believed to cause an allergic reaction,the blood is  mixed  with  materials known  to  trigger  allergies. The  testmeasures  the level of  allergy antibodies  in  the  blood that  are present  with  an  allergic  reaction.  Such  test  for synthetic additives  is not  reliable.  Thus,  people  have  to  go on  an elimination diet.  They stop eating  all  foods that  might be problematic and  introduce one at a time to see if a reaction occurs.  It  is  best to  eat  a  preservative-free  diet  if  at all possible. The reaction from these additives can be very mild to life-threatening.  They  can  be  immediate or  build  up  in  the body  over  time.  Only  in  recent  years  have  researchers seriously  considered  the physical  impact  of  these  additives over the long term.

Some  Food  Additives  and Preservatives  and  their  Side-Facts.

Some  food  additives  and preservatives  have  been  shown  to have side effects in human and animal model.Tartrazine: Tartrazine  (trisodium-5-hydroxy-1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-H-pyrazol-3-carboxylate) is also known as FD&C Yellow no. 5 and E 102. It  is  an artificially  synthesized  azo  pigment and  its  use  is permitted  as  a  colorant  in  food  products,  cosmetics  and pharmaceuticals, with a recommended acceptable  daily  intake (ADI)  of  7.5  mg/kgbw.  However  long-term  and   excessive ingestion  of  tartrazine may  cause  a  variety of  adverse  effect.  Mp ountoukas e  al. indicated  that  tartrazine  had genotoxic  potential  towards  human  lymphocytes  and  could bind  directly. Kashanian e  al. also  reported  similar  results  and  pointed  out  that tartrazine was  potentially  toxic  to  calf  thymus  DNA in  vi ro.  A  study  by  Tanaka e   al. reported  that  tartrazine  could  exert  adverse  effects  on neurobehavioral parameters, while  Gao e   al., indicated  that tartrazine could  cause  neurotoxicity and deficits in  learning  and  memory  in mice and rats.  Li  and co-workers  investigated  the  toxic interaction between  tartrazine  and  bovine hemoglobin  (BHb),  and  found that  tartrazine  had  an  obvious  toxic  effect. Due to this potential toxicity, it is crucial to control the amount of tartrazine used in food products and it is therefore necessary to develop  analytical  methods  capable of  evaluating  the exposure  of  the general  population  to  tartrazine.  To date, various  methods  have  been reported  for  the  detection  of tartrazine, such as chromatography, spectrophotometry, electroanalytical methods and  novel nanosensor detection methods.  However, most of  these  methods are  expensive, time consuming or complicated,  and therefore  not  suitable for routine  extensive  monitoring  of  tartrazine.  Incontrast,  an enzyme-linked  immunosorbent  assay  (ELISA)  could  be  an ideal  alternative  technology, due to  its  high  sensitivity,  time-efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Boric Acid:  Boric acid (H3BO3) is a boron compound which is soluble  and circulates in  plasma. It  is colourless  and  water soluble  white  powder  which  has  been used as pesticide to kill mites, insects, fungi and algae and also the fleas,  cockroaches,  termites  and  wood  decay  fungi  (Cox, 2004). Boric acid is widely used as food preservative (4gm/L) in  food  products  like  caviar  (The  ministry  of  Agriculture  of Turkey,1997). It is also used for p reserving meats, caviar and dairy  products  Food  colours  are  water soluble and are extensively used in almost every type of edible preparations  like  soft  drinks, foodstuffs,  jams  and  jellies, sweets, candies, ice creams, sauces and pickles. The possible harmful effect of colouring matters and all other  food  additives  to  foodstuffs are  a  subject  of  public concern.  Accordingly  there  is  an  increase  in application  of legislative control so as to restrict the use of harmful colouring matters  in  food  and  to  check  certain permitted  items  which have  not  any harmful  effect  when  subjected  to rigorous examination. Boric acid and borates are toxic to cell. Boric acid is harmful to human health  if  consumed in  higher  amounts. 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  foodadditives was also reported  by Donbak et al (2002). 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.

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 metabolismby chelating iron and suppressing  the protein  hepcidin,  potentially  causing iron deficiency in susceptible patients. Curcumin also  has embryotoxic  and  teratogenic  effects  on  zebrafishes (Daniorerio)  embryos.  In  vitro and in  vivo studies  carried  out  b y  Mohamed e  al (2011)  suggested  that curcumin may cause carcinogenic effects.

Nitrites  and  Nitrates: The  nitrate  binds  to  hemoglobin  (the compound which  carries  oxygen  in  blood  to tissues  in  the body),  and  results  in chemically-altered  hemoglobin (methemoglobin)  that  impairs  oxygen delivery  to  tissues, resulting  in  the  blue  color  of  the  skin. 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  in some studies  (Sanchez-Echaniz,  2001; Dusdieker,  1994;  U.S. Environmental Protection  Agency.  1991;  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.

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 (ANON, 2011, Magee, 2011). Annatto has been  linked  to  cases  of  food-related  allergies.  In  one  1978  stud y  among  61consecutive patients  suffering  from  chronic hives  and/or angioedemas, 5 6 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 (Stein, 2009).

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.

Headaches : Headaches are the common symptom that is being reported by  consumers.  One  study confirmed that  individuals  with  self-reported headaches  after the  ingestion  of  aspartame  were  indeed  susceptible  to headaches  due  to  aspartame.  Three randomized double blind, placebo-controlled  studies with more than  200 adult  migraine sufferers showed that headaches were more frequent and more severe in the aspartame-treated group.

Depression :  In  a  study  of  the  effect o f  aspartame  on  40 patients  with depression,  the  stud y  was  cut  short due  to  the severity  o f  reactions within  the  first  13  patients  tested.  The outcome  showed  that  individuals with  mood  disorders  were particularly sensitive to aspartame and recommended that it be avoided by them.

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.  The digestion and absorption of sucralose is not clear due to a lack of long-term  studies  on humans.  The  majority of studies were do ne  on  animals  for  short  lengths  of time.  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.  The only way to be  sure of the safety of sucralose  is to have long-term  studies  on  humans  done. Splenda  is  a  product  that contains the  artificial  sweetener  sucralose,  but  that  is  not  all that it contains. Sucralose does have calories,  but because it is 600 times  sweeter  than sugar, very small amounts are needed to  achieve  the  desired  sweetness  so  you  most  likely  won't consume enough to get any calories.

Regulations of Food and Perservatives

There are several regulating agencies that determine what must be added to food and food supplements and the quantities that they must be added so they will not have deleterious effects on the  consumers.  These  substances  are  termed  as  generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Each country of  the world has its own  regulations  though  there  might  be  similarities  among them. In Nigeria, for instance, before anything can be added to food,  it  must  be  approved  by  the  National  Agency  for Food and  Drug  Administration  and  Control  (NAFDAC)  in conjunction with the Standard Organization on Nigeria (SON). In Nigeria, the drug and related products (registration, etc.) act 1996  (as  amended)  and  food  additives  regulation  of  2005  of the  NAFDAC  gave  several  regulations  that  every  food  and drugs companies must adhere  to  or  face  penalty  or  sanctions. These regulations are; Label declaration for substances used as food  additives,  Labeling  of  synthetic  colour  and  mixture  of colours  in  food,  Food  additives  not  to  b e  described  falsely, Food additives to bear certain information, Processing aids and carry-over  of  food  additives,  Prohibition against  sale  of  food containing  non-permitted  food  additive,  Conditions  for a request to  add to or change food additive, Restriction on sale, of  baby  foods  containing  food  additive,  Conditions  for allowing more than one preservative, Ionizing radiation. Some of the penalties.In  the  U.S.,  food  ingredients  may either  be  FDA-approved food additives or  generally recognized  as  safe (GRAS).  

Food packaging  manufacturers  must  prove  to  the  U.S.  Food  and Drug Administration (FDA, 1993) that all materials coming in contact with food are safe, before they are permitted for use in such  a  manner.

 Food  additives  were  first  subjected  to regulation in the United States under the Food and Drug Act of 1906. The  act  states that  a  food  shall be deemed  adulterated:  If  it bears  or contains  any  poisonous or deleterious  substance,  which  may  render  it  injurious  to health;  but  in case  the  substance  is  not  an  added substance, such  food  shall  not  be considered  adulterated   under  this clause if the quantity of such substance in such food  does not.

DISCUSSION

According  to  (Tuula,  1994),  the  use of  food  additives  has increased enormously in the  last few decades. As  the result, it has been estimated that today about 75% of the Western diet is made up of  various processed foods, each  person  consuming an  average  8-10lbs  of  food  additives  per  year, with  some possibly eating even more. The following adverse effects have been attributed  to  the  consumption of various  food  additives; eczema, urticaria,  angioedema,  exfoliative dermatitis,  irritable bowel  syndrome, nausea,  vomiting,  diarrhoea,  rhinitis, bronchospasm,  migraine, anaphylaxis,hyperactivity and  other behavioural disorders  (Smith,  1991).  There  is also  now  clear evidence  that  the  health  of  the  nation  in  the  U.K.  has deteriorated considerably  during  the last few decades (Tuula, 1994).  This  was  found  by  Dr  Michael  Wadsworth, when  he compared the health records of over 5000 people born in 1946 to their first-born children a generation later. The survey found among  the  new  generation  a  substantial  increase  in  hospital admissions  o f  children  up  to  the  age  of  four,  a  tripling   of instances  of  asthma,  a  six-fold  increase  in  both  eczema  and juvenile  diabetes,  as  well a  double  increase  in  obesity.  The  number  of  children  admitted  to psychiatric hospitals had also raised sharply. The latest official figures  have  shown  between  1985  and 1990  a 42% rise  in the  number  of  under  10  year  olds  seen  b y  the  psychiatric services and a 65% increase  in  children   aged   between    10 to    14,    whilst    the  admissions    of  15  to  19  year   old juveniles    to  psychiatric  hospitals  had  increased  21 %.  Even so me  children  as  young  as  5  years  of  age are  ending up  in psychiatric  wards (Thompson  and  Pudney,1990)  and ( Gorman,  1993).  Crime  is  also presently  on  top  of  the political agenda. In fact  the present rising trend of the criminal statistics  and  violence  resembles  today  more  of  an epidemic disease,  with  symptoms including  mental  disarrangement combined  with  a  complete  lack  of  any  behavioural  or emotional control (Bryce-Smith, 1994). This review paper has shown that inappropriate  nutrition can  modify b rain  function resulting,  in  susceptible  individuals,  in   a  severe mental dysfunction,  including  manifestations of  criminal  and  violent behaviour.  When  this  happens, several  nutritional  factors might  be  working  together;  however  the  following fundamental  dietary    factors    must   be    taken    into consideration    when  confronting    anyone  displaying  an inappropriate  behaviour  pattern,

isthe person  concerned living  on  a  high sucrose, high food additive diet which lacks an appropriate amount of good protein? Is  the  diet  completely  lacking  in mineral  content  such  as  fresh  fruits and/or  salads?  Could  the foods  highperson  have  an  allergic  intolerance to  any  foods  he  or  she  is in  vitamin consuming  regularly?  Could  the person    suffers    from and toxicological    burden    o f  heavy  metal contamination,  such as    lead,  cadmium  and/or  aluminum,  and  a  deficiency of  an essential  trace  element.  It  must be  stressed  that  this  paper  is most  definitely  not  trying  to  insinuate  that  all  negative behaviour  manifestations  are  nutritional  in  origin,  as  socio-political  influences  certainly do play apart. However, it must be always remembered that a  healthy and  non-toxic b rain can usually receive information and process it in an intelligent and positive  manner,  as opposed  to  a  malnourished  and  toxic brain  which  simply  does  not  possess the  same  capability. As seen  from the  above,  inadequate  nutrition  and subclinical malnutrition seem to be two  of the basic  reasons for a  myriad of physical and  mental  health  problems of  today.This  could be  easily  rectified  by  reducing  the  wide  use  of non-essential  food  additives,  which  in  turn  would  simply restrict  the  amount  of  non-nutritious  foods  presently on  sale, resulting  in a  wider  uptake  of  more nutritionally dense  foods. resulting  in a  wider  uptake  of  more nutritionally dense  foods. Government  officials  for  the importance o f the use of preservatives is  that  without  them  foods  would  soon  spoil. This  argument  is  indeed  quite  realistic.  However,  it  is interesting to note that of the  nearly  4000  different  additives currently    in  use,  over  3640  are  used  purely  for cosmetic reasons    and    as   colouring  agents,    the    preservatives accounting for  less than  2%  of  all  additives when counted by number or by weight (The London Food Commission, 1988).The  other  continued  reason  for  the  approval of the use of additives  is  based on  the  argument that they  are present  in foods  on  such  a  minute  scale  that  they must  be  therefore completely harmless. This argument may be almost acceptable regarding  additives  with  a  reversible  toxicological  action. However,  with  additives  which  have been  found  to  be  both mutagenic  and carcinogenic,  neither  the  human  nor animal body  is  able to detoxify. Therefore even  very minute  doses of these additives, when consumed continuously, will  eventually result  in an  irreversible  toxic  burden,  resulting  finally  in cancer  formation  and/or  in  chromosomal  and  fetal  damage. This  is  quite  unacceptable,  particularly  as the  majority  of these  dangerous agents  belong  to  the  food  colouring  group (Tuula, 1994).

Recommendations

In  order  to  improve  the  present  situation,  the  following recommendations are therefore suggested;All  non-essential  food  additives should   be  banned, particularly all cosmetic agents such as food colourants. The  various  regulating agencies  should  ensure  that  it  is only those  food  additives  which  are generally  recognized as safe (GRAS) that is added to foods. All  foods  which  include  additives  with  carcinogenic, mutagenic  and  teratogenic  properties  should  be  clearly labeled with the appropriate warning. All  food  additives  should  be  banned  from  foods  which may be consumed by infants and young children. All food additives that are not generally recognized as safe (Non GRAS) must not exceed  the acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs).The    amount    of    TV    advertising   which    encourages children   to  buy   and   eat   unhealthy junk food should be vigorously  cut  down  by  various  regulating  agencies  as children  are  presently  surrounded  by  images promoting extremely unhealthy eating habits. All  foods that  have little  or no nutritional  value  should  be discouraged from all  promotions. Regulating  agencies  should  ensure  that  Good Manufacturing  Practices (GMP)  are  adhere  to  by  various food producing and processing industries Government  should  re-introduce  free nutritious  school meals,  preferably  using  organic  foods,  which  will  be available  to  all  school-children  to discourage  them  from patronizing these colourant food additives. Local Education  Authorities should include in their  health education  curricula  specific  lectures  stressing  the  prime importance of good  nutrition in  both physical  and  mental health of children. All  foods,  drinks  or  medications  currently  exempt  from declaring  additives  must  in  future  be  required  to  do  so. This  is  particularly  important  and  timely  in  connection with  medicines,  as  presently  there  is  no  legal requirement  by  current  labeling  regulation s  to  oblige  the drug manufacturers to disclose the presence of any  of their pharmacological  adjuvants.  Adverse  reactions  to  drugs themselves  have been  recognized, but  the  ever-expanding range of synthetic exipients  currently  in use can no longer be considered either inert  or  non-toxic. In  fact  it  has been already suggested  that  adverse  reactions  to undisclosed exipients  should  be  always  suspected  whenever  patients present with recurrent, unexplained symptoms, particularly allergies (Smith,1991).  Finally,   all   young   children diagnosed   as hyperactive, including  children  currently  seen  by  psychiatric  services, should  always  be  screened first  for  evidence o f a  possible food/chemical  intolerance  as  even  the simplest  dietary changes  i.e.  by  avoiding  foods  containing  food  additives such as coloured sweets, fizzy  and  sugary  drinks etc., can bring  about  a  remarkable  improvement  in  their  health and behavior (Bunday  and Colquhoun, 1990). It  would  be appropriate  to  suggest  that we must now finally insist that the  Government  pass  a  law  refusing  permission  for  the food  industries  to  add  continuously  into  our  everyday foods  and  beverages  demonstrably  toxic  agents  for cosmetic purposes only. If not for any other reason, at least inorder to  protect  the health of  our significant  population of  young children, youths, adolescents and  adults, as well as  the  health  of  our  future generation  because  a  healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

Conclusion

This  review  work  has  examined  the  various  effects  of  food additives and  preservatives  on man.  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  o f  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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