<Dl> <Dt> Acidulents </Dt> <Dd> Acidulents confer sour or acid taste . Common acidulents include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid . </Dd> <Dt> Acidity regulators </Dt> <Dd> Acidity regulators are used for controlling the pH of foods for stability or to affect activity of enzymes . </Dd> <Dt> Anticaking agents </Dt> <Dd> Anticaking agents keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking . </Dd> <Dt> Antifoaming and foaming agents </Dt> <Dd> Antifoaming agents reduce or prevent foaming in foods . Foaming agents do the reverse . </Dd> <Dt> Antioxidants </Dt> <Dd> Antioxidants such as vitamin C are preservatives by inhibiting the degradation of food by oxygen . </Dd> <Dt> Bulking agents </Dt> <Dd> Bulking agents such as starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without affecting its taste . </Dd> <Dt> Food coloring </Dt> <Dd> Colorings are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation or to make food look more attractive . </Dd> <Dt> Fortifying agents </Dt> <Dd> Vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements to increase the nutritional value </Dd> <Dt> Color retention agents </Dt> <Dd> In contrast to colorings, color retention agents are used to preserve a food's existing color . </Dd> <Dt> Emulsifiers </Dt> <Dd> Emulsifiers allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an emulsion, as in mayonnaise, ice cream, and homogenized milk . </Dd> <Dt> Flavors </Dt> <Dd> Flavors are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from natural ingredients or created artificially . </Dd> <Dt> Flavor enhancers </Dt> <Dd> Flavor enhancers enhance a food's existing flavors . A popular example is monosodium glutamate . Some flavor enhancers have their own flavors that are independent of the food . </Dd> <Dt> Flour treatment agents </Dt> <Dd> Flour treatment agents are added to flour to improve its color or its use in baking . </Dd> <Dt> Glazing agents </Dt> <Dd> Glazing agents provide a shiny appearance or protective coating to foods . </Dd> <Dt> Humectants </Dt> <Dd> Humectants prevent foods from drying out . </Dd> <Dt> Tracer gas </Dt> <Dd> Tracer gas allow for package integrity testing to prevent foods from being exposed to atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life . </Dd> <Dt> Preservatives </Dt> <Dd> Preservatives prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms . </Dd> <Dt> Stabilizers </Dt> <Dd> Stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents, like agar or pectin (used in jam for example) give foods a firmer texture . While they are not true emulsifiers, they help to stabilize emulsions . </Dd> <Dt> Sweeteners </Dt> <Dd> Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring . Sweeteners other than sugar are added to keep the food energy (calories) low, or because they have beneficial effects regarding diabetes mellitus, tooth decay, or diarrhea . </Dd> <Dt> Thickeners </Dt> <Dd> Thickening agents are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> Acidulents confer sour or acid taste . Common acidulents include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid . </Dd> <Dd> Acidity regulators are used for controlling the pH of foods for stability or to affect activity of enzymes . </Dd> <Dd> Anticaking agents keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking . </Dd>

The origin of the harmful substances used in food production