Unless you make all your food from scratch, you will surely have some food preservatives in your dishes. And, even if you cook/bake mostly from scratch, some of the basic ingredients will often have preservatives in them. Should you worry? Is there anything you can do about it? That is the subject of this Cooking Tip.
Food preservation has been occurring for centuries. Our ancestors used salt, sugar or vinegar to preserve food for storage. Other methods included refrigerating, freezing, drying and smoking.
Beginning in the late 19th century, alternative preservation methods began to be introduced. Today, we use chemicals (either natural or synthetic) to prolong our food’s freshness and shelf life. The goal is to prevent spoilage that occurs due to air, moisture, or harmful organisms.
The main goal of food preservatives is to reduce spoilage. They are added to food to prevent or slow down the growth of micro-organisms such as molds, yeasts and bacteria. Therefore, they can keep food fresher for longer periods of time. They are also used to slow or prevent changes in color, flavor, and texture, such as preventing browning, caking, clumping, or separating.
Food preservatives are either extracted from natural sources (non-synthetic) that can be found in nature or synthetically produced. Examples of natural preservatives include:
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vinegar
- Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
- Citric acid
- Tocopherols (vitamin E)
Examples of man-made (synthetic) preservatives are the following.
- Potassium sorbate/sorbic acid
- BHA/BHT (Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
- Calcium phosphate
- Nitrates/nitrites – These can be naturally occurring but are also used in meat to add color and prolong shelf life.
- Sulfites – These chemicals prevent browning. On the label, you may see sulfur dioxide, potassium metabisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite or sodium bisulfite. Next time you are in the market, look at packages of dried apricots. The ones with the word “unsulphured” will appear brownish, while the ones that appear brighter orange will have a sulfur additive.
- EDTA – Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
- Benzoic acid
Natural versus synthetic is one way of categorizing food preservatives. Another is by their function.
- Acids – These are used as most microbes cannot survive an acidic environment. Examples are citric acid, acetic acid, sorbic acid, lactic acid and fumaric acid.
- Antimicrobials – Used to prevent the growth of harmful organisms; examples are spice extracts, sodium benzoate, and sodium nitrite. The latter is sometimes listed as “celery powder” on food labels.
- Antioxidants – Oxidation is an enemy of food as it causes fat to go rancid, flavors to change and degrade, and colors to turn brown and dingy. Think of the browning that occurs when you leave a cut apple on your counter. That is due to oxidation. With the addition of an antioxidant, the oxygen reacts with the antioxidant(s) rather than the food. Examples are ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), sulfur dioxide, tocopherol (vitamin E), and BHT (chemically synthesized, but it does occur naturally in lychees).
All food additives, including preservatives, must be labeled on food packages. You will often see the word “preservative” followed by the actual name of the preservative. Sometimes, you will see the name of the chemical with the word “preservative” in parenthesis. If you wish to look up a particular food additive, see this list from the FDA.
If a preservative has been added to food, the FDA has determined that there is sufficient evidence that they are safe for their intended use. In addition, these preservatives are subject to ongoing review by the FDA as scientific understanding and testing methods improve.
Despite this, should you look for one type of preservative over another? There are three main concerns that you will hear frequently.
- Sulfur dioxide may invoke responses in people with asthma.
- Some additives may invoke an allergic response in sensitive individuals.
- Sodium nitrite is concerning as some feel it can form potentially carcinogenic nitrosamine compounds. That is why we are told to limit our consumption.
The advantages of synthetic preservatives are:
- Many feel they are more effective than natural ones.
- They are generally less expensive and more available than natural preservatives, helping to keep food costs down.
- Some caution that obtaining natural preservatives may have negative environmental impacts.
- Natural ingredients can be highly variable, making their consistency and potency different from batch to batch. Therefore, they may not be as effective, or a higher concentration may be needed to reach an effective level.
Food waste in our country (and worldwide) is a real problem. The EPA estimates that over one-third of the food produced in the United States is wasted. They state that “food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S., comprising 24 and 22 percent of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively.”
Apart from the negative environmental concerns, this is a financial concern for all of us, especially with today’s food costs. A 2022 article in Fortune magazine estimates the economic cost of food waste is equivalent to “$1,500 worth of groceries for a four-person household each year, an estimate that doesn’t include recent food price inflation.”
We can do many things to reduce food waste in our kitchens. One thing that food manufacturers do is to add preservatives to our foods. Just take a look at the food labels of the items you purchase. Whether you want to source those items with natural preservatives is a personal decision. I hope the above information will help you as you make that decision.
Very few decisions are black and white, and the same is true for food preservatives. For more examples, see my prior posts on Flavorings and Colors.
We can all reduce the preservatives we eat by cooking more and relying less on processed foods and restaurant foods. You may not be able to avoid all preservatives, but you can positively impact your and your family’s diet.
Culinary Journeys, LLC 