Food processing aids

Overview

Food processing aids are substances used to facilitate the production of food but no longer any role in the finished feed. Unlike additives, processing aids should not remain in the food. In practice, it is obviously not feasible, most often by detecting residues in food. The aids are also called "processing aids".

Depending on the role they filled in the various stages of food preparation, it aids the class into 16 categories: defoamers, catalysts, clarifying agents / filter, bleaches agents, washing agents and hair / peeling, Staff plucking and waxing, ion exchange resins, agents freezing on contact to cooling agents, drying agents / anti-caking, enzymes, agents of acidification, alkalinization or neutralizing agents, flocculants and coagulants, biocides, preventatives and extraction solvents.

Defoamers (other than those used as additives)

Defoamers are substances that reduce or prevent foaming at certain stages of manufacture.

Defoamers are widely used in canning to prevent the formation of foam during the washing of vegetables for canning and freezing. They are also used in sweets to prevent the formation of foam during the hydraulic transport of beet.

Defoamers are generally used fats, derivatives of fats and alkylene oxides.

Catalysts (other than enzymes)

A catalyst is a substance that alters the speed of a chemical reaction but is unchanged at the end of the reaction. In other words, a catalyst is a substance that lowers the activation energy of a chemical reaction .

Dans l'industrie des corps gras, catalysts are used to modify certain physical characteristics of fat. Examples of reactions of hydrogenation and interesterification of edible oils.

Since catalysts are used mainly metals in the form of solids or ionic solutions: sodium, chromium, copper, etc..

Agents clarification / Filtration

Officials of clarification, filtration or adjuvants are substances that can get the state sought clarity in certain liquids. They eliminate or facilitate the removal of all or part of substances dissolved or suspended solids that cause disorders (sometimes also the source of odor and taste).

In general, officers for clarification and filter precipitate when placed in the liquid to clarify and bring in their fall substances trouble. They also allow for stabilization of colloidal a threshold such that they affect the purity of the product.

They are used in various applications such as in fermented beverages (beer, cider, etc.). And the juice of fruits and vegetables.

The molecules at the origin of the disorder and being treated liquids of various kinds, and clarifying agents are also a variety of ways and adapted to each situation. These are proteins, polysaccharides, minerals, synthetic macromolecules, etc..

Agents bleaches

The bleaching agents are substances that can remove the color pigments or other substances in the food and give it a color reaction.

They are used in various applications such as refining sugar wheels and edible oils. The clay and activated carbon are examples of bleaching agents.

Washing agents and hair / peeling

Agents for washing and peeling are substances that facilitate cleaning and removal of the skin of certain foods.

Agents for washing and peeling are usually aqueous solutions in which the foodstuffs to be treated are immersed. These treatments are always followed by a rinsing with water to remove the agent.

They are used in washing and / or peeling of several food products such as fruits and vegetables, fish and fishery products, etc..

As agents for washing and peeling, it cites the following examples: acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, the carboxymethylcellulose, alkylbenzene sulfonate, sodium, potassium and sodium diluted diluted.

Agents plucking and waxing

Officials of plumage and hair removal are substances that facilitate the removal of feathers and fur. The foodstuff is immersed in a solution containing the active agent, and then be rinsed with potable water.

These substances are used to waxing or plucking meat products: poultry, cattle, pigs, etc..

As agents of plumage and hair removal are: the alkylarylsulphonates sodium, ester and ether alkyltriglycolique polyglycol ether of propylene glycol.

Ion exchange resins

The ion exchange resins are substances that trap the molecules present in an ionic liquid.

They are used to treat water used in the manufacture of food, help clean the sugar or starch derivatives, remove bad tastes in the waters of life.

The substances used are anionic or cationic macromolecules such as anionic polystyrene resin, cationic resin sulphonated copolymer of styrene and divinyl benzene.

Agents freezing and cooling contact

Officials of freezing and cooling are in contact refrigerants used in refrigeration or cryogenic cooling (or direct) of food.

The commonly used refrigerants are air, nitrogen and CO₂fluids.

Drying agents / anti-caking

Drying agents / anti-caking are substances that prevent clumping of the particles of food products including hygroscopic (easily capture the atmospheric water), used mainly in powder form or crystalline.

Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze many biological reactions. They are specific catalysts, ie a given enzyme can catalyze a specific chemical reaction.

Enzymes used as processing aids are for the majority of them hydrolases, which can break apart organic molecules (hydrolysis) in fractions of smaller protein, complex carbohydrates, etc..

The enzymes used in the food industry can be derived from animal products or plants, or produced by cultures of microorganisms. They are generally used to facilitate the processes of filtration, clarification, pressing, decanting, etc.. They can also obtain simple substances from complex molecules such as glucose from starch or sugar for example.

Agents of acidification, alkalinization or neutralization

Officers of acidification, alkalinization or neutralization Modifiers acidity / alkalinity of a product.

They are used in various applications such as neutralization of edible oils and control of pH in the fermentation process.

Agent is usually used of acids and bases such as hydrochloric acid, lactic acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, calcium hydroxide and caustic soda.

Agents demoulding

The agents are substances that help prevent the food preparation adheres to its support and facilitate its removal.

Oils and petroleum jelly and paraffin fat are examples of mold release agents used in many preparations such as pastry and confectionery.

Flocculants and coagulants

Flocculants and coagulants are substances that allow the aggregation of molecules in a solution. These substances act as filtering agents. Once introduced into the environment, they will complexing with certain molecules, most often unwanted and can be eliminated more easily during filtration.

They are used for example in the refining of sugar-white CRYSTALLIZING mi.

The substances used as flocculants / coagulants are polycondensates of dimethylamine and epichlorohydrin and copolymers of acrylamide and sodium acrylate.

Biocides

Biocides are substances used to destroy micro-organisms that may affect food quality or to create a risk to human health. Their use must in no way a substitute for hygienic measures prescribed by regulation; they serve in particular to control the contamination of raw materials for their inherent natural origin.

They are used in the manufacture of several products as the products of meats, fruits and vegetables and meat products.

As such biocides are the following examples: The hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, chlorine, formaldehyde and glyceraldehyde.

Preventives

The preventives are substances used in manufacturing processes to prevent the deposit of limestone on the walls of thermal processing equipment (eg evaporators) of food.

They are generally used in sugar to prevent the deposit of limestone on the evaporator, a process that precedes the separation of sugar crystallization.

The polymer of acrylic acid and acid polymaléique are examples of preventatives.

Solvent extraction

Extraction solvents are solvents used in the extraction process in the processing of raw materials, food components or ingredients of such products, which are discarded and can cause the presence of unintentional but technically inevitable, residues or derivatives in the food or ingredient.

Extraction solvents are widely used in food industry. Examples of the solvent extraction of oil in the seeds of certain plants.

Directive 88/344/EEC of 13 June 1988 on the approximation of Member States on extraction solvents used in the manufacture of foodstuffs and food ingredients, allows the use of solvent extraction 19 which 7 are permitted for all uses in accordance with good manufacturing practices. These are: propane, butane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, carbon dioxide, acetone and nitrous oxide. However, the use of acetone in the refining of olive-pomace oil is prohibited.