Food preservatives

Preservatives are used to improve the preservation of foods, preventing or slowing down their deterioration, and consequently increasing shelf-life times. Deterioration can be caused by chemical, physical and / or microbiological factors.
Not all alterations caused by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi or yeasts, molds ...) are to be considered harmful, because there are processes, triggered by some microorganisms, useful for giving a certain fragrance or flavor to the product (such as for example the stages of maturation of wine and / or cheeses).

The preservatives protect the food mainly from the action of bacteria, fungi and molds. The greatest concern for the consumer is to buy foods that have gone bad or that have become toxic due to the microorganisms present inside, or due to the presence of their toxins (poisonous substances that can be lethal to humans). To try to prevent this from happening, against every type of microorganism there is a specific preservative that has the purpose of protecting the food. It is precisely for this reason that often several preservatives are used simultaneously in food products.
When more preservatives are added to a food at the same time, the maximum dosage of the same decreases according to the number of preservatives used, that is: when two preservatives are used together, the maximum dosage allowed in the food is halved for each substance; if, on the other hand, three are used, the value is divided into three.

They belong to the category of preservatives:

• antimicrobials: serve to limit and hinder the development of bacterial flora, which would form in the food causing alterations of the product;
• substances which are intended for other uses, but which nevertheless have a "preservative action;
• antioxidants: these are substances that prolong the conservation period of food, preventing it from deteriorating caused by oxidative processes (such as rancidity of fats or changes in color). Antioxidants are included in the category of preservatives because they hinder the action of oxygen in contact with the product; together with the acidity regulators they are represented on the label with the word "E" followed by a number ranging from 300 to 399.

Preservatives must be reported on the label like any other additive (they are usually shown at the bottom of the labels due to their reduced percentage of concentration); those proper, are marked by the letter E followed by 3 digits between 200 and 299, or directly with the name of the preservative itself.
Within this numbering, the preservatives are further divided into 9 macro-groups shown below:

• SORBATI, from E200-209
• BENZOATES, from E210-219
• SULFURS, From E220-229
• PHENOLS AND FORMATS, from E230-239
• NITRATES
• ACETATES
• LACTATES
• PROPIONATES
• OTHERS

E200 E201 E202 E203 E210 E211 E212 E213 E214-E2119 E220 E221 E222 E223 E224 E225 E226 E227 E228 E230 231 E232 E233 E234 E235 E236 E237 E238 E239 E240 E242 E249 E250 E251 E252 E260 E261 E262 E263 E270 E280 E284 E285 E290 E296 E297