Food preservatives are chemical substances that are added to food to prevent spoiling, improve appearance, and maintain the foods nutritional quality. They are used to increase the shelf life of foods and help to prevent food spoilage caused by microbial growth. Here are some examples of food preservatives:
- Sodium benzoate: This is a common preservative used in jams and squashes to prevent spoilage.
- Sodium metabisulphite: This is another common preservative used in jams and squashes to prevent spoilage.
- Sorbic acid: This is a preservative that can be used to preserve potato products, cheese, and jam.
- Natamycin: This is a preservative that is widely used in the surface treatment of cheese and sausages.
- Benzoic acid: This is a preservative that is commonly used in flavoured fermented milk products, fruit and vegetables, confectionery, and processed fish and fishery products.
Preservatives can be either extracted from natural sources or synthetically produced. Natural preservatives can be sourced from plants, animals, fungi, and algae, while synthetic preservatives are chemically produced.
