What do we know about nutritional supplements? Are they as scary as we are told all the time? Let's read and find out ...

Every day, without knowing it, we eat dozens and hundreds of different nutritional supplements. Fear of them is widespread among the people, especially if in the composition of the products they are indicated by the letter E.

However, chemists repeatedly assure that products produced in accordance with the rules are even safer than those grown in their own garden. After all, the manufacturer thoroughly knows what substances are present in his product, and you can only guess what your vegetables have absorbed from the earth and air.

However, food chemistry still scares us and, I must say, not without reason. But the matter is often not in the potential danger of one or another additive, but in the very human habits, which still do not get along well with modern industry.

Where did the letter E come from?

Food additives are used to give food a specific taste, color or consistency, to increase shelf life or to disinfect. For the convenience of classification in Europe, it is customary to assign a number with the prefix E to various additives - these are the very endless "E" s that you find in the composition of products.

• numbers from E100 to E199 are assigned to various kinds of dyes,
• from E200 to E299 - for preservatives,
• from E300 to E399 - for antioxidants,
• from E400 to E499 - for stabilizers, thickeners and emulsifiers,
• from E500 to E599 - behind various pH regulators,
• from E600 to E699 - for flavor enhancers and flavors.
• The following numbers are crammed with antibiotics, packaging gases, sweeteners and foaming agents, and other substances used in the food industry.

Of course, the consumer cannot understand the entire list of food additives even with the appropriate education. Therefore, the use of certain substances in the manufacture of products is regulated by the state.

Let's turn our attention to the most interesting nutritional supplements - from those well known to every consumer to those that the consumer would rather not know about.

Monosodium glutamate

This is perhaps one of the most popular nutritional supplements - almost every yummy lover knows about it. It is found in those products that, despite their low cost, seem to us rich in taste - these are chips, crackers, instant noodles and other cheap snacks. It can often be found in sausages and various semi-finished products. This additive is designated by the E621 code.

It has long been believed that MSG works as a taste enhancer by stimulating all receptors in the tongue. But recently, scientists have become convinced of the opposite - this seasoning acts only on certain receptors and, thus, is responsible for a completely separate taste. In oriental cuisine, it has been known since time immemorial - in Japan it is called "umami", which literally translates as "pleasant taste."

The flavor of monosodium glutamate on its own is difficult to describe as it is almost subtle, but when combined with other foods, it can create that incredible combination. Characteristically, the monosodium glutamate-based condiment sold in Japan is called “essence of taste”. It is especially good in combination with meat and salty dishes, but the main thing is not to overdo it.

The controversy over the dangers of monosodium glutamate has been going on for the second century, but since then, no serious research has shown that this substance can be dangerous when consumed in moderate doses. Moreover, some modern research by scientists suggests that in old age

«
umami ”may even be useful.

On the other hand, parents often prohibit their children from eating chips or other MSG foods too often. A taste that is too intense makes children somewhat addictive, after which they refuse to eat regular food.

At the same time, monosodium glutamate is found in a huge amount of natural products - in meat, vegetables, mushrooms. And in celery, for example, there is even more of it than in the same chips.

Sodium nitrite

We are all used to the fact that sausages and sausages have

«
meaty "red, but few people realize that this is far from their natural color. If it were not for sodium nitrite, the usual sausage would be ash gray. Such a product would not be very attractive to the average consumer.

However, sodium nitrite is not only a colorant, but primarily a preservative. That is why it belongs to the second hundred food additives and its code is E250. The main purpose of sodium nitrite can be called the fight against the terrible bacteria that causes botulism.

For all its merits, sodium nitrite is far from harmless. It is toxic to humans, although it is also used in medicine in small doses. In addition, there is evidence that sodium nitrite may contribute to the development of cancer.

That is why the use of E250 in the European Union is currently being discussed by the expert community. So far, we have no restrictions on this food additive and it can be found in almost any Russian sausage product.

Silica

This food supplement is less well-known among consumers, although it is equally popular among manufacturers. Silicon dioxide is often used in the manufacture of croutons, as well as cheap instant coffee - it prevents

«
sintering "the product when cooking with a high processing temperature.

This additive with the number E551 can also be found in mayonnaise, cheap cooked sausages and ready-made products that can be stored for a long time at room temperature.

All this is quite common for a food additive, if not for one thing - silicon dioxide, as readers familiar with chemistry could already have noticed, is ordinary sand. And although many of you did not think that you regularly eat real sand, silicon dioxide itself is completely harmless. It is also used in medicine - an effective sorbent is made on its basis, which helps in case of poisoning.

Aluminum

You will not be full of sand alone, so you can safely fortify yourself with metal. True, not in our country - in Russia, Ukraine, Australia, as well as in a number of other countries, the E173 food additive, behind which aluminum is hidden, is prohibited.

But what does aluminum do with food? It's simple - aluminum powder is used as a colorant and gives food a metallic hue. It is added to cakes, various dragees and sweets.

They banned aluminum because of the dubious consequences of its use - some researchers believe that the metal can be deposited in the human body and affect metabolism, in particular, cause diseases of the skeleton, such as osteoporosis. Although aluminum is normally excreted in the urine.

In addition, a person without food additive E173 can consume a fairly large amount of aluminum if he eats from appropriate dishes or drinks drinks from aluminum cans. On average, up to 15 mg of aluminum per day is excreted from the human body.

It should be added that under the numbers of food additives E174 and E175 are hidden two more metals - silver and gold. Both can also be used as dyes

By the way, they are allowed in our country), however, due to the high cost, they are extremely rare.

Borax

This substance, which is a salt based on boron and sodium, is an integral part of the modern chemical industry - it is used in the manufacture of fire extinguishers, glass, detergents, for exterminating insects and for treating horses' hooves.

Such a useful thing could not pass by the food industry, where borax is used as a preservative. True, for some time now it has been banned in the United States due to its adverse health effects, especially in men. According to research, borax negatively affects reproductive function and may even harm an unborn baby.

In other countries, borax is still used. But, basically, only for one product - caviar. So the next time you choose red caviar, try to do without E285 in the composition, although it is used in very small doses.

sulphur dioxide

This gas has been known to man as a food additive for a very long time - even in ancient Rome it was used as

«
wine improver ".

Today, sulfur dioxide is used in the food industry very widely - it is used to process meat and fruits, add it to drinks, mostly in the same wine. Also, this additive under the name E220 can often be found in jams and ice cream.

The main beneficial property of sulfur dioxide is antibacterial, so it is most often used as a preservative.

At the same time, sulfur dioxide is extremely toxic to humans - a small excess of the daily dose can provoke abdominal pain in chronic patients.

Sulfur dioxide tolerance is highly dependent on the individual properties of each person. The headache after drinking wine occurs precisely because of E220, but only people with disturbed stomach acidity suffer from it. Also, sulfur dioxide destroys vitamin B1 and can provoke an allergic reaction in asthmatics.

Carmine

This red dye, number E120, is not common due to its relatively high cost. However, you can still find it in a supermarket - in meat and fish products, in sweets, as well as carbonated drinks. But whether you will use it after you find out what it is made of, this is a question.

And carmine is made from dried insects. The female cochineal worm, which spends its entire life on a single leaf of the plant, is dried and pounded, after which carminic acid is extracted from it. The next derivative of the process is the red dye.

If you think that this is some kind of exotic way of obtaining a nutritional supplement, then you are wrong - something else is obtained from insects.

Shellac

Some music lovers and antiques lovers may be familiar with this substance - until the 40s of the last century it was used for the production of gramophone records. For ladies, shellac may also be familiar as a substance used for manicure.

And shellac is a natural resin, which is a product of the vital activity of a red beetle that lives in the forests of Southeast Asia.

In addition to plates and manicure products, shellac is quite popular in the food industry - there it is known under the code E904 and is used as a glazing agent. Shellac is used to coat vegetables and fruits so that they retain their bright color longer, candies and other sweets, nuts, coffee beans, and much more.

Of course, additives made from insects undergo a deep chemical treatment, so nothing is left directly from them. On the other hand, due to their natural origin, these substances are considered absolutely harmless.

L-cysteine

This amino acid is widely used in baking various bakery products - it makes the dough softer and more viscous. If you eat a donut, loaf, cake or something like that, then most likely you are using the food supplement E920.

Now the question is - do you think there is a more nasty way to get a food additive than processing insects? And here is the answer - L-cysteine ​​is obtained from the processing of human hair. Sometimes, however, bird feathers are also used, but more often hair, which is usually bought in China.

Curiously, in the United States, conservative activists regularly demand that this food additive be banned, believing that eating it is tantamount to cannibalism. But for Arabs and Jews, there is a kosher method for obtaining L-cysteine, but it is several times more expensive than usual.

Skatole

The last on this not very pleasant list is skatole - the substance responsible for the characteristic odor of feces. However, nature is very cunningly arranged - skatole smells of feces only if there is a lot of it, but if you dissolve the substance, then its smell decomposes into other, more pleasant ones - milky, floral or strawberry.

Therefore, skatole is actively used in the production of fragrances for perfumes, cigarettes and strawberry ice cream.

Bon Appetit!

Chemist - flavorist Sergei Protein reports.

"Chemical food" is a horror story of our time. People do not want to eat harmful chemicals, but they want to eat healthy natural foods. But what they mean by this is mostly myths.

With regard to food, chemistry is used today as a curse. But chemistry is a fundamental property of our world, everything in the world, including man himself, consists of chemicals. And food is no exception.

The first myth is that there can be food without chemicals. Can not. Chemistry in food - 100%.

Another question is whether these chemicals in food are taken from nature or synthesized by humans.

The second myth is that everything natural is useful, and artificial is harmful. In fact, natural differs only in that it is found in nature, and only in this.

Natural is not useful. Here's an example: forest fires are a natural phenomenon, just like death from smallpox, and steam heating is an artificial phenomenon. And which of this is useful and which is harmful?

Another myth is that all kinds of artificial food additives are a recent invention.

The world's first artificial flavor was invented by a man who began to fry meat, because the smell of fried meat does not exist in nature.

The smell and taste of fried meat is the result of the interaction of substances that exist in raw meat when it is heated. Moreover, the chemical interaction. The smell and taste of cheese is also artificial, since cheese does not exist in nature. But man learned to make this product quite a long time ago, and the purpose of creation was not at all to improve the taste, but to preserve the chemical substances of milk.

Many plant substances that we tend to regard as beneficial simply because they are natural are actually plant chemical weapons.

They have been selected by evolution to cause maximum harm to anyone who wants to eat the plant. Many are poisons. For example, caffeine in a plant acts as an insecticide: it protects it from insects. In general, coffee can be safely considered a mixture of insecticides and flavors, because the aroma of coffee is, in fact, artificial.

Green coffee does not smell, and the "natural" smell of coffee is the result of artificial chemical reactions occurring in the beans when heated.

And what, for example, is vanillin, which we add to all kinds of confectionery products as a natural flavoring agent? From a chemical point of view, vanillin is an aromatic phenol and an aromatic aldehyde at the same time.

I wouldn't want to eat that.

There is no vanillin in the famous vanilla pods by nature, it appears in them only after ripening and falling off. The plant does not need vanillin, its purpose is to protect the seeds from harmful molds and bacteria. This is a substance that protects plants from being eaten, and only by chance did a person like its taste, which does not mean its usefulness.

The same is with mustard. The main function of allyl isothiocyanate, to which mustard owes its pungency, is to scare away insects and larger herbivores. As such, it is not in the plant: it begins to form only when the tissues of the plant are damaged. Its synthesis starts at the moment of damage to leaves or seeds in order to cause maximum damage to the pest.

And only a person has learned to eat what is invented as a toxin, and call it useful. At the same time, the same substance obtained by methods of chemical synthesis is called harmful.

Cucumber pimples also contain toxic insect repellents. A man, nothing, eats. Almonds and apricots contain a very strong poison, cyanide, hydrocyanic acid. And this does not prevent a person from using them with pleasure.

The molecules that create the scent of orange, located in the peel and in their formula more like gasoline than food, serve to protect the juicy pulp and so attract us with their scent.

When talking about food additives, monosodium glutamate is most often mentioned: it is found in bouillon cubes, and in sausages and sausages. But it is this substance that determines the taste of meat - the so-called umami taste, in fact, the taste of protein. This was discovered by the Japanese professor ikeda, and back in 1909 he patented a method for its preparation. But long before that, glutamate was the most abundant chemical molecule in our food. It is this substance that gives the taste to sausages, ham and any other meat products. Glutamate gives the tomato flavor and its concentration increases as the fruit ripens. Red tomatoes are tastier than green tomatoes, in part because they contain more glutamate. Man has just learned to obtain monosodium glutamate by the method of bacteriological synthesis. And this artificial glutamate, according to the atomic - molecular theory, is no different from natural.

Food additives on the product packaging are marked with the letter E with various numerical indices. And this letter often scares the consumer.

Although this only means that the product contains strictly defined and tested substances.

Often the same substances are found in large quantities in natural products. For example, an apple has a much larger set of different Es than any finished product. Although, in fact, this is not important: the origin of a substance does not determine its properties.

Cranberries contain more sodium benzoate than are allowed in food canning.

If cranberries are driven out according to the tolerances for the content of preservatives, it should be banned, there is an overdose of preservatives in it.

What does she need them for? To protect yourself, prevent mold and bacteria from eating berries and seeds. But no one on this planet would guess to suspect cranberries in what preserves or drinks are suspected of. On the contrary, many people consume cranberries because of their beneficial antimicrobial properties, which, however, are exaggerated.

Parabens (esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid) are also natural substances; plants use them to protect themselves from pests. They are mainly used in cosmetics. And they are also afraid. You can often find advertisements for the so-called paraben-free cream. But this is possible, attention, only in three cases: 1) if, instead of safe and proven parabens, some less well-known and studied preservative is added to the cream; 2) the cream will dry out immediately after opening; 3) the manufacturer is not a fool and nevertheless added parabens, but, following the fashion, he lied.

Sodium nitrite is another horror story.

It is very easy to find it in sausages: the trendy gray sausage does not contain sodium nitrite. But don't buy this kind of sausage.

Before sodium nitrite was added to sausages, the so-called sausage disease - botulism - was a fairly common occurrence. The very word "botulism" originates from the ancient Roman "sausage". Sodium nitrite reliably kills the deadly toxin-producing bacteria. And if we talk about quantities, then 1 kg of spinach or broccoli will give you the same amount of nitrite as 50 kg of doctor's sausage.

And here is the story about caviar, a delicacy product that, for a number of reasons, is very susceptible to spoilage. For the preservation of caviar, the substance urotropine (E 239) was recently used, which has been banned in our country since 2010.

But this is the only preservative that worked in the caviar. And now the caviar is either rotting out, or there are many other preservatives in it, more than allowed.

Or it is still good and safe, but with the prohibited urotropin. Urotropine was banned because it decomposes during storage with the formation of formaldehyde, which is poison. But nobody thought about quantities. Its minuscule is formed. And we don't eat caviar with spoons. In addition, the same amount of formaldehyde that can be obtained with a jar of caviar with urotropin can be obtained by eating one banana.

Another myth is related to the harmfulness of sweeteners that people who want to lose weight use instead of sugar.

For example, aspartame is a completely understandable molecule with understandable effects, and there are hundreds of studies supporting its safety.

A very common myth is that "you know what a natural product is, and what you synthesized there are solid impurities! This is complete nonsense. For example, if we compare tarragon herb and soda on flavors, then natural tarragon contains more impurities. all are known, but in the grass we do not know what could have been formed.In natural coffee, there are much more chemicals (almost a thousand), and their properties have been studied much less than in an artificial coffee flavor. Thousands of fragrant substances. About 4 thousand of them are approved for use as flavorings, their properties have been studied, they are recognized as safe. About a hundred of such substances are prohibited: they turned out to be harmful. And about 4 thousand more. No test has ever passed. Thus By consuming a flavoring agent, you are guaranteed to consume only substances from the proven 4 thousand.

Consuming natural, you eat everything: both proven safe and untested, and necessarily tested harmful.

Finally, lovers of everything natural in the store will choose a naturally smoked sausage or ham, rather than smoked with liquid smoke. And from the point of view of safety, they will choose a much more dangerous product. Neither is the best choice in terms of health. But natural smoke contains many tar, carcinogens, which are separated during the production of liquid smoke. In fact, artificial smoking is much safer than natural smoking. Even if it is not so tasty.

“We want to know the truth about food!” - these are the slogans advocated by the defenders of natural food and opponents of chemical food. It's great when a person wants to know the truth. Only now it is better to look for this truth not on TV or on women's forums. And start with a textbook on food chemistry.

The truth about food is that all food is chemistry. The truth is that if a person makes food himself, then he knows what he makes it from and checks it for safety.

The truth is, food chemistry is also a science that makes our world a better place. And another truth is that by consuming only natural food, relying on nature, you are making a mistake. Nature has absolutely no obligation to take care of our safety.

The role of chemistry in human life begins with breathing and digesting food.

All processes occurring in our body are carried out in a dissolved form, and water acts as a universal solvent. Its magical properties once allowed life to arise on Earth, and are now very important.

The basis of the chemical structure of a person is the food that he consumes. The better and more complete it is, the better the well-coordinated mechanism of life works.

With a lack of any substance in the diet, the ongoing processes are inhibited, and the body's work is disrupted. Most often, we consider vitamins to be such important substances. But these are the most noticeable substances, the lack of which manifests itself quickly. The lack of other components may not be as visible.

For example, vegetarianism has negative aspects associated with the lack of food intake of some complete proteins and amino acids contained in them. In such a situation, the body cannot synthesize some of its own proteins, which leads to various disorders.

Even table salt must necessarily be included in the diet, since its ions help to maintain osmotic pressure, are part of the gastric juice, and help the heart.

With various deviations in the activity of organs and systems, a person first of all turns to a pharmacy, which acts as the main promoter of the achievements of mankind in the field of chemistry.

More than 90 percent of medicines displayed on the shelves of pharmacies are artificially synthesized, even if they are present in nature, today it is easier to create them at a factory from individual components than to grow in natural conditions. And although many of them have side effects, the positive value from eliminating the disease is much higher.

Attention! Cosmetology is almost entirely based on the achievements of chemists. It allows you to prolong the youth and beauty of a person, while at the same time bringing substantial incomes to cosmetic companies.

Chemistry is a subject that is known to all students. The attitude towards him is different: some like to observe how the reagents behave during various experiments in the lesson, while for others, on the contrary, chemistry only causes boredom. However, not everyone knows interesting facts about this discipline. Let's take a look at some of them.

Dancing squid

Chemistry is a subject that finds practical application in a wide variety of areas of life. One interesting fact about chemistry has to do with a Japanese dish called dancing squid. Its zest is as follows: freshly caught squid is served on the guest's table, shortly before that it has been poured with soy sauce. The squid begins to wiggle its tentacles, as if dancing. This effect is due to the fact that a chemical reaction occurs in the tentacles of the squid, forcing the muscles to move.

Skatole

Another interesting fact about chemistry is related to a special substance called skatole. It is an organic compound that gives the faeces its characteristic odor. Its colorless crystals can be found in various essential oils, resins, and they are also formed during the breakdown of protein. In small doses, this substance has a pleasant floral aroma. Manufacturers often add it to perfumes, cigarettes, and a variety of food essences. Skatole is even found in food.

Poison in alcohol

And the next interesting fact about chemistry will serve as a warning for those who are prone to drinking. They may contain a very dangerous substance that is practically indistinguishable from ethyl alcohol in taste and smell. This is methyl alcohol. A small amount of it can lead to blindness. A dose of 30 ml can cause cardiac arrest. When poisoning with methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol is the antidote to it. This is due to the fact that the binding processes of both alcohol are directly dependent on the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. This substance reacts faster with ethanol. As a result of the reaction, ethanol is depleted, and most of the methanol remains unbroken, as a result of which a smaller amount of poison is in the blood.

Canary rescuers

A lot of interesting facts about chemistry are associated with the animal world. For example, it is widely known among miners that canaries are highly sensitive to the smell of methane gas. This feature has always been used by mine workers in the past, who always took small birds with them underground. In the event that the canaries stopped singing, this meant that you should immediately go upstairs.

The discovery of antibiotics

Perhaps one of the most famous facts about chemistry is associated with the discovery of antibiotics by A. Fleming in 1928. The scientist conducted one of his ordinary experiments, which were devoted to the struggle of the human body against various bacterial infections. In test tubes, he grew a culture called Staphylococcus. For several days, the scientist accidentally left the test tube with bacteria unattended. At this time, a whole colony of molds grew in it. After that A. Fleming was able to isolate a separate active substance - penicillin.

Chemistry and food. Food chemistry

Food chemistry is a section of experimental chemistry that deals with the creation of high-quality food products and methods of analysis in the chemistry of food production.

The chemistry of food additives controls their introduction into food products to improve the production technology, as well as the structure and organoleptic properties of the product, increase its shelf life, and increase nutritional value. These additives include:

The creation of artificial food is also a subject of food chemistry. These are products that are obtained from proteins, amino acids, lipids and carbohydrates, previously isolated from natural raw materials or obtained by directed synthesis from mineral raw materials. They are supplemented with food additives, as well as vitamins, mineral acids, trace elements and other substances that give the product not only nutritional value, but also color, smell and the necessary structure. The secondary raw materials of the meat and dairy industry, seeds, green mass of plants, hydrobionts, biomass of microorganisms, for example, yeast, are used as natural raw materials. High-molecular substances (proteins, polysaccharides) and low-molecular substances (lipids, sugars, amino acids and others) are isolated from them by means of chemistry. Low molecular weight nutrients are also obtained by microbiological synthesis from sucrose, acetic acid, methanol, hydrocarbons, enzymatic synthesis from precursors, and organic synthesis (including asymmetric synthesis for optically active compounds). Distinguish between synthetic food obtained from synthesized substances, for example, diets for therapeutic nutrition, combined products from natural products with artificial food additives, for example, sausages, sausages, minced meat, pates, and food analogs that imitate any natural products, for example , black caviar.

Video Chemistry and Our Food

When we come to the store, we always choose products of high quality, beautiful, appetizing in appearance. Nobody will buy, for example, gray sausage or rancid butter. After all, every customer wants products to be fresh, aromatic and tasty. And nutritional supplements contribute a lot to this.

So why are they needed?

They are able to improve the appearance, aroma and taste of the product (aromas, flavor enhancers, colorants).

They slow down the deterioration of the product (preservatives, antioxidants).

Increase the nutritional value of the product (vitamins, minerals, sweeteners).

Required in the industrial production process (emulsifiers, stabilizers).

I would like to talk about the most common nutritional supplements in more detail.

So preservatives. To prevent food spoilage and stay fresh for a long time, preservatives are added to them. After all, a spoiled product is not only inedible, but also hazardous to health. Preservatives protect us from food poisoning, prevent the growth of molds and microorganisms, and stop the production of poisons by microorganisms, such as aflatoxin.

Benzoic acid and its salts (benzoates) are a preservative, found in almost all canned foods in plastic packaging, for example, in herring, in drinks. It is dangerous for allergy sufferers who are sensitive to salicylic acid, and for patients with bronchial asthma.

Sorbic acid. It is most commonly seen in canned foods, as well as cakes and baked goods. It is considered the most harmless and especially effective preservative.

Sodium nitrite. It is both a color enhancer and a preservative at the same time. Add it to smoked meats and sausages. Thanks to sodium nitrite, the natural color of the sausage remains much longer. By the way, this salt prevents the growth of botulism spores in canned sausages. It was with sausage poisoning that this disease (botulus-sausage) was first described. Sodium nitrite is highly toxic. Its quantity is strictly standardized by GOST. And this concentration is very small, does not exceed 0.005%. I will say from my own experience: I have never met an excess of sodium nitrite above the standard.

One of the options not to add preservatives to food is vacuum packaging, and the salt itself (sodium chloride) is nothing more than a preservative. The situation is the same with vinegar. In one situation, he is a seasoning, and in another a preservative. Don't you put vinegar in the pickling? Although I prefer natural apple.

Antioxidants. Their action is based on the fact that they bind oxygen in the air, preventing oxidation (rancidity of fats). Most often they are added to vegetable and butter, chips, raw smoked sausage. These include ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid, tocopherols (vitamin E), lactic acid, lecithin. They are natural and harmless, which is not the case with sulfite. It is added to wine, dried fruits, but for some reason not a word is written about its presence.

Thiabendazole, diphenyl, orthophenol. They are covered with a thin layer of bananas and citrus fruits. A thin waxy coating protects the fruit from spoilage. So wash your fruit thoroughly before eating.

Vitamins and minerals. Add to baby food, juices, dairy products. Helps to make foods balanced and healthy.

Emulsifiers and stabilizers. Without them, we would not have eaten ice cream or mayonnaise. The products would simply disintegrate into their constituent parts. For example, lecithin is a good natural emulsifier. There is a lot of it in egg yolk. This is why homemade mayonnaise does not flake and all the cholesterol in eggs is not completely absorbed by the body.

Modified starch, pectins, agar-agar, gelatin. Refers to thickeners. They are a good ballast substance, practically not digested by the body. I would like to mention agar-agar. It is obtained from red and brown algae. Has the ability to remove toxins from the body. So jelly and marmalade based on agar-agar are very useful (if, of course, they also contain natural dyes).

Glycerin and sorbitol are moisture regulators. They absorb moisture well from the air, which is why baked goods do not stale for so long.

I have listed the most common nutritional supplements, although there are many more. As you can see, there are both useful and not very useful ones. Due to hygiene requirements, the use of food additives is allowed only if they do not threaten human health even with prolonged use. Their content in products is strictly controlled at all stages of production.

In our age of progress and universal employment, life itself pushes us to the fact that more and more often we buy ready-made meals from factory production and less and less often we prepare food from fresh products. So either we must accept the presence of food additives, or abandon all industrial products. and switch to home cooking. The choice is yours.

Recent research into the side effects of nutritional supplements has rocked the world. Now everyone wants to know as much as possible about them.

Many of you love to read the contents of a product before you buy. And it is right. If you want to be healthy, watch what you eat. Not everyone wants the foods they buy to contain excess sugar, fats, and other undesirable elements for health. Everyone, probably, found food additives in the list of the listed ingredients. What are they needed for? What are their benefits?

What are dietary supplements?

Nutritional supplements Are foods or chemicals that are added to food to enhance flavor and color, and for better storage. Both ascorbic acid with monosodium glutamate and aspartame are dietary supplements. All canned foods contain substances that contribute to their long shelf life. Although there are certain benefits, nutritional supplements have side effects. On this occasion, fierce discussions are underway around the world. The following information will let you know more about supplements.

Interesting facts about nutritional supplements

- Many people argue that nutritional supplements do not provide any benefit. Far from it. As mentioned above, they prevent food spoilage, improve their color, taste and aroma.

- In all countries there are strict rules for the production of food additives, as a result of which they are completely safe for human health, and it is impossible to poison them.

- However, long-term consumption of foods containing additives can lead to some serious illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.

- Food colors contain coal tar, which is a carcinogen that can lead to cancer, so products colored with artificial colors should be avoided.

- Monosodium glutamate is found in almost all products from China, such as soy sauce and others. Although it serves to give foods a distinct "Chinese" flavor, many people associate it with chest pain, nausea, and cramps.

- Side effects of aspartame, sorbitol, nitrites, nitrates and many other additives include stomach pains, headaches, nausea and vomiting.

- Many baby products also contain food additives to add color and flavor. Therefore, children who consume large amounts of candy and ice cream may suffer from hyperactivity.

- The myth that all chemical additives must necessarily be harmful does not find confirmation. Foods like salt, lemon or sugar are also additives, but they don't have any side effects.

- Some people may be allergic to certain substances. Moreover, after consuming certain foods, they may experience a skin rash, diarrhea, headache, nausea, anxiety, etc.

- Some negative reactions to food consumption may not be caused by the presence of food additives at all, but by the expired shelf life. This rarely happens, but it does happen nonetheless.

Most of the side effects are associated with long-term consumption of the same foods. This does not mean at all that they should be banned. You just need to moderately consume processed and packaged food, buy fresh vegetables and fruits, prepare food at home, and not visit various cafes. If you play it safe in advance, in the future, it will probably be possible to avoid various troubles with your health.

Our products contain a huge amount of various colorants, flavor enhancers, preservatives and more. Naturally, unknowingly, we are terribly afraid of these additives. Because we watch TV, read various articles on these topics, and there they regularly frighten us with scary and incomprehensible Yeshkas. It became interesting to me to figure out: how dangerous are they and are they dangerous at all? Especially when you consider the fact that food additives are present in almost all food products and drinks. So…

What is a food supplement?

These are various specialty chemicals that are added to products in order to give them any properties. For instance…

Flavors are needed to give a certain smell, conservatives prolong the sale and consumption of products, dyes are needed to give the desired color, sweeteners make products sweet, stabilizers preserve the physical and chemical properties of products, and antioxidants are needed to preserve vitamins.

Well, do you need nutritional supplements or not? It seems to me the answer is obvious: we need!

During any heat treatment (cooking, frying, stewing), various chemical reactions occur in potatoes, as a result of which new substances are formed. But these substances were not in raw potatoes. Hence the conclusion: there is no need to be afraid of food additives! You just need to know which food additives can really harm and avoid foods containing them. .

It is absolutely unrealistic to manufacture products on an industrial scale without special additives. Such products will quickly deteriorate. Therefore, one should not believe the words "no preservatives" or "no food additives". The manufacturer who writes this on the packaging is frankly deceiving you. It's just that he (the manufacturer) used acetic acid as a preservative. , and it is not included in the official list of preservatives. Although in fact it is. But its esters or salts are included, these are food additives E260 - E269.

Nutritional Supplements by Numbers

Each dietary supplement has its own unique number or code, which consists of the English letter E and a three-digit number. Additives from E100 to E199 are dyes, E200 - E299 are preservatives, followed by a hundred antioxidants, and so on.

It is worth noting that food E-supplements themselves do not pose a particular threat, and many are found in excess in natural products or can be produced by the human body. For example, the supplement E270 is lactic acid, which is formed in the cells of our body during the breakdown of glucose.

So many people are intimidated by monosodium glutamate (monosodium salt), which in its essence is an amino acid abundantly found in nature. It is abundant in tomatoes, milk, mushrooms, meat, corn, fish, cheese and cottage cheese.

Of course, there are additives that can be called harmful, if not one but: to harm health, their number must be significantly higher than that used by food manufacturers... But allergy sufferers and children are better off eating foods that contain such additives with caution. They can build up in the body.

Ideally, you need to remember all the harmful and dangerous Eshki, but in practice this is not feasible. Therefore, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most dangerous ones.

Doctors, especially nutritionists, do not advise eating a lot of sausage, because of the preservative and color improver E250 included in it (sodium nitrite) as it is toxic in large quantities. But without it, sausage could not be eaten at all, the risk of contracting botulism would be very high. It is strange that these same researchers and critics of nutritional supplements for some reason do not tell consumers that, for example, one kilogram of broccoli or spinach contains exactly the same amount of sodium nitrite as 50! kilograms of "Doctor's" sausage.

Now the question is: through which product is it more realistic to get this "harmful" preservative by eating a kilogram of broccoli or 50 kilograms of sausage? I think everyone understands what the answer will be.

The healthy and well-known cranberry contains more E211 (sodium benzoate) than manufacturers use for canning food.

Many people are afraid to give children sweet soda, fearing sweeteners. There is some truth in this, the sugar substitute - aspartame (E951) breaks down in the body into amino acids and releases methanol. And methanol is undeniably a poison. But the question is again in the amount of the consumed dose. An adult weighing 70 kg needs to eat 266 aspartame tablets or drink 25 liters of Diet Coke per day to be harmful to health. Well, how real is it? That's right, not real at all.

Nutritionists joke: a fresh apple contains additives E296, E141, E330, E440 and a couple more will probably be. So what? Now you will not eat apples, and will not give them to your children? Doubtful.

Some producers also have a good sense of humor. For example, on the label of the drink "Buratino" you can read the composition: water, carbon dioxide, sweetener, citric acid E330, preservative E211 and flavor identical to natural. Everything would be fine if it was lemonade or an orange drink, but what kind of natural aroma we should feel in Buratino is not clear. Maybe the smell of freshly sawn wood?

Finally

As you can see, there is nothing very wrong with food additives. I would even say that they are intended not to harm, but, on the contrary, to help both us and the food manufacturers. How else would we consume sausage, candy, cookies, ice cream or soda? No way. You just need to be aware and carefully study the composition of the purchased product ... It is also good to know which Eshki are dangerous to use. It is especially worth buying food for children, the elderly and pregnant women.

Are those who advocate natural products without food additives being so honest? Why, then, they deliberately keep silent about how many different chemicals are used to grow vegetables and fruits.

Another question, which is more dangerous: the dose of the food additive verified by the manufacturers or uncontrolled watering in the fields and in greenhouses with different chemistry of cucumbers, tomatoes and other supposedly natural products. Watermelons alone annually poison a huge number of people, including children. So, it is worth considering: what is the purpose of such a serious information war against food additives and who benefits from it? Maybe the producers of "natural" products?

Elena Belokonova