Course: WVA 102 Food Preservation Methods

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Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives & Colors

For centuries, ingredients have served useful functions in a variety of foods. Our ancestors used salt to preserve meats and fish, added herbs and spices to improve the flavor of foods, preserved fruit with sugar, and pickled cucumbers in a vinegar solution. Today, consumers demand and enjoy a food supply that is flavorful, nutritious, safe, convenient, colorful and affordable. Food additives and advances in technology help make that possible.

There are thousands of ingredients used to make foods. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3000 ingredients in its data base "Everything Added to Food in the United States", many of which we use at home every day (e.g., sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla, yeast, spices and colors).

Click here to access the article An Overview of Food Ingredients, Additives and Colors from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Please Read the following content:

- Introduction
- Why Are Food and Color Ingredients Added to Food?
- What Is a Food Additive?
- What Is a Color Additive?
- How Are Additives Approved for Use in Foods?
- Summary
- Questions and Answers About Food and Color Additives
- Types of Food Ingredients
- Additional Information