1.1 Introduction
Additives and preservatives have been in use in foods for centuries, when meats are smoked as means of preserving them, compounds such as butyl gallate and butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA) are formed and provide both bacteriostatic and antioxidant effects. Salt has been in use as a preservative for centuries. Salt preserves by lowering the water activity (aw) of meats and other foods as well as inhibits the growth of bacteria. Excess water in foods often can encourage the growth of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria. Pickling, which involves addition of acids such as vinegar, lowers pH of foods to levels capable of retarding the growth of bacteria. Some herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, chili pepper, and curry, contain antioxidants and may offer bactericidal effects.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Food additives are substances which are added to food to preserve its flavor or enhance its appearance, taste, or other qualities. Some food additives have been under use for centuries, e.g., preserving foods by pickling with vinegar, brining or salting, as with bacon, preserving sweet or using sulfur dioxide as in wines. With the advent of many processed foods in second half of twentieth century, several more additives were introduced; both natural and artificial (or synthetic) origins. Also, food additives include the substances that may be indirectly introduced to foods (known as indirect additives) during the manufacturing process, by packaging, or during transport or storage (FDA, 2017; FDA, 2018). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes food additives as any substance, intended use of which results or might reasonably be expected to result, indirectly or directly, in it becoming a constituent or otherwise affecting characteristics of any food. The WHO stated that substances which are added to foods to improve or maintain the taste, texture, appearance, safety, or freshness of foods are known as food additives (WHO, 2018). Some food additives have been used for centuries for food preservation, such as salt in meats like bacon or dried fish, sulfur dioxide in wine, or sugar in marmalade. Food additives may also be used to confer a specific functional property in foods (Chinaza, 2019b; Chinaza et al., 2019a). Over time, many food additives have been developed to meet the requirements of food production and food industries, as producing foods on large scale is quite different from making on a small scale at home or for household. Additives are required to ensure the processed foods remain safe, in good condition, and fresh throughout its journey from the factories or industries, during the course of transportation to shops and warehouses, and finally to the consumers, who often look out for fresh, safe, nutritious, and wholesome foods.
The use of additives in foods is only justified when their use does not mislead consumers, has technological need, and serves well-defined technological function, such as to enhance the stability of the food or preserve the nutritional quality of the food. Food additives can be derived from animals, plants, or minerals, or can be synthetic. They are added to food intentionally to perform some technological purposes which the consumers often take for granted (WHO, 2018), or unintentionally added through food-package interactions or from other sources such as pesticides used in growing crops, mycotoxins such as aflatoxin, patulin (Chinaza et al., 2019b) found in grains and other foods; also, some components such as methanol and ethyl carbamate (Igwe et al., 2018a; Igwe et al., 2018b) may be formed in some traditional beverages and become part of the foods. There are several thousand food additives in use, which are all designed to do specific job in making foods more appealing, safer, or nutritious. Bisphenols, perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), and phthalates are indirect additives used in packaging or manufacturing. In July 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) called for more study of Bisphenols, perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), and phthalates, along with food coloring and nitrates, as they might harm the children during development (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2018).
The safety assessments completed by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) are used by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint intergovernmental body of the FAO and WHO that sets food standard, to establish the levels for maximum use of preservatives and additives in food and drinks (WHO, 2018). Codex standards serve as reference for national standards for the consumer protection, and for international trade in foods, so that consumers everywhere will be confident that the foods they consume meet the agreed standards for quality and safety, no matter where they were produced (WHO, 2018). Once a food additive is found safe for use by the JECFA and the maximum use levels established in Codex General Standard for Food Additives, the national food regulations require to be implemented permitting actual use of food additive. The use of food additives in the US is closely regulated by the governmental agencies responsible for health, agriculture, and consumer safety. This is also the case in other developed nations in Europe, Canada, etc. (Encyclopedia, 2020). Chemicals cannot be used as food additives in those countries except regulators are convinced, they have been shown to be toxicologically safe, with wide margin of security. Additionally, chemicals added to commercially made foods must be listed on packaging so that the consumers will know what is present in the foods they choose to eat (Branen, 2002; Encyclopedia, 2020; Clydesdale, 1997; Potter and Hotchkiss, 1995). As a result of the intrinsic nature of low-level, toxicological risk, especially those associated with the diseases that may take long time to develop, researchers and scientists are never able to show that trace exposures to any chemical or additive are absolutely safe there is often a level of risk, no matter how small.
Need for Food Additives
Food additives play or important role in today's complex food supply, never before has the range and choice of foods been so wide either in supermarkets, specialist food shops or when eating out. Whilst a shrinking purporting of the population is engaged in primary food production, consumers are demanding more variety choice and convenience alongside higher.
Standards of Safety and Wholesomeness at Affordable Prices
Meeting these consumer expectations can only be achieved using modern food processing technologies which include the use of a variety of food additives proven effective and safe through long use and rigorous testing (Flowerdew, D. 1999). How is the safety of food additive evaluated in Europe; All food additive must have a demonstration useful purpose and undergo a rigorous scientific safety evaluation before they can be approved for use. Until the creation of the European food safety Authority mo (EFSA) 177, the safety evaluation of additives in Europe was done by the scientific committee on food (scf).
At present, it is the EFSA panel on food additives, flavouring, processing, Aids and material in contest with food (AFC panel) who is in charge of this task. Assessments are based in reviews of all available toxicological date in the humans and animals models. From the available date, the maximum level of additive that has no demonstrable toxic effect is determined. This is called “ no-observed-adverse-effect level” (NOAEL) and is used to determined the “Acceptable Daily intake” (ADI) for each food additive. The ADI provides a large safety margin and is the amount of a food additive that can be consumed daily over a life time without any adverse effect on health (European parliament and council Directive 1988).
Groups of additive according to committee on toxicity:
- Group A: Additives that the available evidence suggests are acceptable for use in food.
- Group B: Additives that on the available evidence may be regarded meanwhile as provisionally acceptable for use in food, but about which further information is necessary and which must be reviewed within a specified time.
- Group C: Additives for which the available evidence suggests probable toxicity and which ought not to be allowed in food without evidence establishing their acceptability.
- Group D: Additives for which the available evidence suggests possible toxicity and which ought not to be allowed in food.
- Group E: Additives for which the available evidence was inadequate to enable an opinion to be expressed as to their suitability for use in food.
- Group F: additives for which no information toxicity was available.
Substance that is not on permitted lists must not be used for the preparation, manufacture and distribution of foods for sale to the ultimate consumer. In the case of colours, emulsifiers, stabilizers, solvents and most miscellaneous additives, there are no limitations on amounts used in foods although there are prohibitions of their use in certain classes of foods (Furia 1972). Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Additives and Preservatives in Food Processing and their Health Implication.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals the problems of the Additives and Preservatives in Food Processing and their Health Implication research work, which entails that, literature on health implications of these additives are scanty; majority of what we have are anecdotal, thus making it difficult to draw conclusions for evidenced based decision making. With the increased propensity to embracing western diets by the Africans, it becomes imperative that we are sure of the safety profile of these additives especially as it relates to the health of human. It was in view of this that we sought to identify documented reports in Africa on health implications of food additives on human for whom additives have become “integral components” of their foods both at home and everywhere.
This is necessary to ensure well- informed policy responses for addressing the issue among these highly vulnerable individuals. The safety of processed foods is an issue of public health importance, especially in Africa where there is unchecked rate at which many food industries turn out novel 'chemicals' aimed at increasing the acceptability of their products. This is particularly true for processed foods targeted at children, who remain the most vulnerable group.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Additives and Preservatives in Food Processing and their Health Implication. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To identify health implications of food additives and preservatives on human
- To assess the factors affecting the preservatives in Food Processing
1.5 Significance of Study
The study provides thorough and concise information on the major food additives and preservatives that are currently used at home and food industries to preserve food flavor or enhance its appearance, taste, or other qualities and their health implications. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Additives and Preservatives in Food Processing and their Health Implication in Nigeria.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
