Antioxidants - What Lies Behind the E Numbers
This serves one purpose for health reasons, as the risk of consuming spoiled food is significantly reduced for the consumer. On the other hand, adding antioxidants to foods also represents an economic factor, as correspondingly treated products can be sold longer and thus increase the industry's profit margin. Also, goods can be offered more cheaply to the end consumer in this way. In addition to its preservative function, antioxidants are also attributed a health-promoting effect, as they - like in foods - slow down cell decay in the body by binding free radicals. Thus, arteriosclerotic diseases can be prevented, for example, by preventing LDL cholesterol oxidation in the blood.
Between Benefit and Burden
To maintain a balance between benefit and burden for the consumer and to exclude health-threatening use of antioxidants, there are certain guidelines that food manufacturers must adhere to. In addition to the necessity of adding an additive to the product and ensuring that this is done in a health-safe amount, the manufacturer is obliged to declare the addition of antioxidants to a product through so-called E numbers. It does not matter whether it is a naturally occurring or industrially manufactured additive. The decisive factor is that the antioxidant is not an original component of the product.
Natural antioxidants primarily include Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which can be found in many citrus fruits and is one of the most common natural additives in foods (E300). Antioxidants are also found in nuts and oils, which can be classified as vitamin E-rich foodstuffs. Antioxidant carotenoids, on the other hand, belong to the group of secondary plant substances and occur in fruit and vegetable varieties. The addition of beta-carotene is particularly common in foods.
Synthetic antioxidants are mainly gallates, which are added to oils or margarines to prevent rancidity. It should be noted that non-naturally occurring substances pose a significantly higher risk of causing health damage - excessive consumption of foods with the additive propylgallate (E310) can sometimes cause life-threatening cyanosis.
About 300 coded E numbers, including about 20 natural and synthetic antioxidants, are currently approved in the European Union and can therefore be found in any food. Although there is generally a health safety with these substances, it must be taken into account that consumers may sometimes react allergically to individual antioxidants. To increase transparency for consumers and ensure consumer protection, numerous Internet platforms now exist where E numbers can be researched.