Food additives are the product of the improvement of living standards, which make the diet change from simple hunger to enjoyment. The color, smell, taste, shape and quality of food have changed greatly because of the appearance of food additives. Up to now, there are 22 categories of food additives approved in China, nearly 1500 varieties. The main functions of some food additives are listed as follows: in sugar foods, such as mud, jam, preserves, preserves and so on. High moisture content, easy to ferment and mold. Therefore, preservatives are often added during processing to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Commonly used are benzoic acid, sorbic acid, sulfur dioxide, acetic acid and lactic acid.

Add incense. In the usual chocolate, a variety of spices are widely added, which has a unique flavor. Generally, there are several kinds of essential oil, essence and powder spice extracts. There are countless varieties of each type, such as candy and chocolate, which can be divided into different varieties according to the flavor type, such as fruit flavor type, nut flavor type, milk flavor type, flower flavor type and wine flavor type.

Add color. The color of candy products partly comes from the raw materials themselves and the special colors formed in the production process. In addition, pigments are sometimes added to simulate the color of natural food, but they should be used in strict accordance with the regulations of the national health department. Carmine, amaranth, lemon yellow and indigo are commonly used, and these pigments are synthetic pigments.

Humidify. Some soft sweets and rock candy are easy to lose water during storage, which leads to drying and hardening, so adding some humidifiers can delay the qualitative change caused by water evaporation. Commonly used humidifiers are glycerol, sorbitol and maltitol.

Alkalization and swelling. When food is in a slightly acidic state, alkalizing agent is usually added to neutralize it. The leavening agent used in some candy and chocolate products can promote the sugar body to produce carbon dioxide and play a role in leavening. Commonly used leavening agents are sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and composite leavening agents.

Acidification. A considerable number of candy and chocolate products use sour agents to adjust and improve the flavor effect, especially fruit-based products. Commonly used are: citric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid and malic acid.

Thickening and stabilization. Thickener is widely used in cold drinks, and it is a food additive to improve or stabilize the physical properties and organizational state of cold drinks. It is easy to combine with water, so it can improve the viscosity and hardness of cold drinks, prevent the production of ice crystals, reduce the rough feeling, and make the appearance of food smooth and delicate.

Reinforcement. Additives used to enhance and supplement food nutrition are called fortifiers. Various vitamins, amino acids and inorganic salts belong to this kind of additives. Commonly used are vitamin A, vitamin B 1, vitamin B2, vitamin P, vitamin C, vitamin D2, vitamin D3, lysine, gluconic acid, calcium lactate, animal and vegetable proteins, etc. In addition, some candy products are added with drugs, but they must meet the national food hygiene standards.

It can be seen that as long as we carefully understand the nature of food additives, carefully check the composition, usage and expiration date of food additives, and make full use of the functions of food additives, not only will it not endanger our health, but it will also add more and more delicious and fresh food to us and enrich our dining table.