What are artificial ingredients?

artificial ingredients are synthetic substances that are added to food. Synthetic substances are not in the natural environment, so they must be made. They are commonly used to maintain food or to increase its taste. Artificial ingredients are often contrasted with natural ingredients, which are usually made of chemicals that are naturally found. The use of artificial ingredients is widespread in industrial countries, but it is growing movements that advocate natural or organic foods.

preservatives are commonly used to alleviate damage that are likely to occur in food from physical, chemical or biological processes. Physical damage may occur when exposed to light or heat, and chemical oxidation may occur when food remains for too long in the presence of oxygen. However, most of the food is caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and fungi. Sodium benzoate is an artificial preservative that is effective in killing such microorganismy; Its use is mainly prevailing in very acidic foods such as salad dressing. These substances are usually much sweeter than sugar per unit of weight. As a result, manufacturers can use much less sweeteners to achieve a similar taste. Artificial sweeteners are also generally cheaper than sugar, so food companies regularly save money using this kind of artificial additive. Many diet products contain a small amount of artificial sweetener and thus less food energy than sugar while retaining a sweet taste.

artificial colors are ingredients used to change the appearance of food. Seemingly natural foods, such as fruit and fish, sometimes contain an artificial food color that masks natural changes in color. Naturally occurring colors can also be strengthened or improved with artificial dyes. People often associate food colors with certain flavors, so to influence perceiveFood color can also be used. However, the use of natural food dyes is on the rise due to safety concerns with artificial ingredients.

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controversy with artificial ingredients dates back to the first years of the twentieth century. Some artificial ingredients were associated with cancer, digestive problems and effects on behavior. A famous example is the artificial sweetener of the sucrin. Sacachin was examined by the American food administration and medicines, starting in 1907, when the additive was suspected of dangerous to public health. It has been shown that laboratory rats fed with high carbohydrate doses develop cases of bladder cancer. But Saccharin is widely used today because it has been shown that this danger is only related to rats and not to humans.