Food additives
Food supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients (i.e., minerals and vitamins) or other substances with nutritional or physiological effects, are very useful in correcting nutritional deficiencies, maintain an adequate intake of certain nutrients or assist specific physiological functions.
Almost all those on the market are also the so-called “additives”substances play an important role in the food production chain and their use has become increasingly widespread over the years as a result of industrial evolution and change in dietary habits, supplanting ancient conservation methods.
Among them are:
- Preservatives: compounds that act against deterioration due to micro-organisms, preventing the growth of bacteria, moulds and yeasts;
- Colourants: substances which give a certain colour to the food to which they are added may be of both natural and synthetic origin;
- Thickeners: substances that increase the viscosity of the products, improving their consistency;
- Sweeteners to give flavour;
- Anti-agglomerants to avoid the formation of lumps in powdered products, due either to the absorption of moisture or to the presence of fatty molecules that tend to bind each other.
To these are added adjuvants, acidifiers, acidity correctors, emulsifiers, gelling agents, raising agents, stabilizers… At present, the use of food additives is regulated by specific legislation which regulates and lays down the conditions for marketing.
To date there is growing concern about these substances: we at Elisir Life propose all supplements free of added ingredients and harmful additives, using natural dry extracts and high quality.
