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Harmful and dangerous food additives, list
We are used to treating ingredients with the letter E with distrust. And it is often in vain: some of them are not only harmless, but even useful. But the experts seem to have underestimated the danger of others.
For example, American scientists have found that the food additive E319 (tert-butylhydroquinone), which was considered completely harmless, turned out to be harmful. It lowers human immunity. And if you regularly consume foods that contain this additive, then disease resistance drops sharply, it becomes more difficult to recover, and the likelihood of complications increases.
The researchers conducted an experiment on laboratory rodents. The animals were fed food, which included E216. During the process, a noticeable weakening of the immune system was revealed. The rodent’s body was unable to fight even the simplest viruses.
Experts recommend that you be as responsible as possible in the choice of products, carefully studying their composition. Now this additive can be found anywhere: in vegetable oil, frozen convenience foods, crackers, nuts and chips.
“There are additives that are not harmful,” says a chemical technologist. Evgenia Komolova. – But we must understand that they consist of chemicals that can affect the human body in different ways. Not all manufacturers in good faith indicate in the “Yeshki”. It is often written that the product contains preservatives, food colors and taste stabilizers. These general words can hide compounds that are dangerous for the stomach. “
Almost no production has been without food additives for a long time. The same flavors are found even in those products that we used to consider natural – in juice, for example. The only question is, what are they made of, these additives. If it’s made from natural raw materials, it’s not scary. And if they are synthetic, that’s another story.
“For example, chips with bacon – it’s clear that real bacon is out of the question here. These are all flavor enhancers and flavorings, — the expert continues. – Natural raw materials cost a pretty penny. And chemistry can be endlessly produced and at the same time receive a decent income. Such food can be attributed to poor quality. Due to poor quality food, a person begins to suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. No wonder they say: you are what you eat. Choose foods with no more than two E-Supplements. Children should be protected from them altogether, especially sweeteners and dyes. “
“E is a digital code that indicates the presence of additional ingredients in the product,” explains Evgenia Komolova. – The code itself consists of a sequence of numbers. One indicates the content of food coloring, two – preservatives, three – antioxidants, four – stabilizers, five – emulsifiers, six – flavor and aroma enhancers. The four-digit code indicates the presence of sweeteners. “
Harmless E-supplements
E100 – curcumin
E101 – riboflavin
E106 – riboflavin-5
E160a – carotenes
E161b – lutein
E300 – ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
E306-Е309 – tocopherol (vitamin E)
E440 – pectin
E641, E642 – L-leucine and lysine (amino acids).
E916, E917 – calcium iodate
Questionable E-Supplements
E412 – guar gum, thickener
E415 – xanthan gum, thickener
Harmful E-additives
E621 – monosodium glutamate, flavor enhancer
E250 – sodium nitrite, preservative and dye
E210 – benzoic acid, preservative
E200 – sorbic acid, preservative
E220 – sulfur dioxide, preservative
E320 – antioxidant
E924 – potassium bromate, baking powder
E102 – tartrazine, dye
E110 – dye “sunset yellow”
E132 – dye indigo carmine
E127 – dye
Prohibited E-additives
E121 – dye “citrus red”
E128 – dye red
E124 – dye “ponceau”
E240 – formaldehyde
E123 – dye “red amaranth”
E216 и E217 – preservatives