What polyphosphates are used for and in which foods they are found
In the food industry, polyphosphates are used as thickening agents, capable of improving the appearance and consistency of many products such as processed cheeses and preserved meats. In cooked ham and cooked shoulder, in particular, they enhance the softness of the meat by increasing the percentage of water retained. For the same reason, polyphosphates are used in the preparation of various types of cooked cured meats, canned meats, sauces and puddings, while in cheeses they help to improve their spreadability. In addition to enhancing all these characteristics particularly appreciated by the consumer, the use of polyphosphates also allows the extra water retained in the food to be monetized.
Mayonnaise, unprocessed, frozen or deep-frozen fish fillets, deep-frozen or frozen molluscs and crustaceans, and some canned vegetable products, represent further, possible, food products with added these substances.
The category of polyphosphates is quite wide and the various additives that are part of it are commonly indicated by the abbreviations E450, E451 and E452.
Are polyphosphates bad for you?
Concerns about the use of polyphosphates relate to their interference with the absorption of some minerals, especially dietary calcium. The constant and high consumption of these additives can therefore interfere with the normal bone calcification process, a particularly serious aspect considering that the largest consumers of processed cheeses (the richest source of polyphosphates) are often children and the elderly. Aware of this risk, many industrialists have opted to avoid adding polyphosphates to their products, clearly underlining their absence on the label.
