1. ISTITUTO TECNICO INDUSTRIALE STATALE “Antonio Pacinotti”- 84018 SCAFATI (Salerno) Via don Angelo Pagano, 1 tel. 0818507590 fax 0818563843 Codice Istituto: SATF04000D – URL: www.itipacinotti.it - e-mail: info@itipacinotti.itwww.itipacinotti.itinfo@itipacinotti.it Indirizzi: Meccanica - Elettrotecnica e Automazione - Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni COMENIUS PARTNERSHIPS Title of the Partnership: “FOOD AND HEALTH”

3. Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.

4. Shopping was easy when most food came from farms. Now, factory-made foods have made chemical additives a significant part of our diet. Most people may not be able to pronounce the names of many of these chemicals, but they still want to know what the chemicals do and which ones are safe and which are poorly tested or possibly dangerous. Infact, considerable controversy has been associated with the potential threats and possible benefits of food additives.

5. Most food additives are cosidered safe. However, some are known to be carcinogenic or toxic: hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma, and migraines are often associated with adverse reations to food additives. Since 1987 Australia has had an approved system of labelling for additives in packaged foods. Each food additive has to be named or numbered. The numbers are the same as in Europe, but without the prefix 'E'.

6. So our task today, is to classify food additives in good ones and bad ones as some of them can be good for our diet and others are used only to improve food's taste and appearance and can be toxic for our health.

7. A type of food additives widely used are the sweeteners. They can be substances both natural and synthetic used in food for their sweetness, replacing the traditional sucrose. They can be useful, as they reduce the caloric content in products called “light”, for those people suffering from diabetes or being on low-calorie diets. An example are: Sorbitol (E420) which is an extract of fruits and berries and promotes the absorption of some vitamins B1 B12 C. Xylitol(E967). an extract of fruits and vegetables, which doesn’t increase glycemia. Maltitol(E965) can be used with moderation by diabetics as it has little effect on insulin and glucose.

8. Aspartame(E951) is widely used in many products as it contains a sweetening power approximately 200 times greater than sucrose, but a strong carcinogenic power. But as in fables there are also bad, harmful sweeteners which are toxic and carcinogen like: Saccharin(E954) which is not metabolized and accumulates in kidneys, liver and lungs.

9. Thickeners such as arabic gum can cause toxic bowel disorders. Other harmful products, if used in high doses, are thickeners, stabilizers, preservatives, antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent the browning of foods but can cause kidney stones, skin irritation, liver damage. Stabilizers retain water in the products and their intake may cause an increase in cholesterol. Preservatives are used for coloring products such as red meat and are used to prevent swelling in cheese.

10. Most important and widely used are: E322 Lecithin(Antioxidant). It is extracted from the eggs and it is contained in sweets and candid fruit. It’s harmeless, but if taken in large quantities can be toxic. E310 Gallates(Antioxidant). It’s contained in oils, chewin-gum, butter and causes erythema in the mucosa of the mouth. E422 Glycerol(Stabilizer). It’s contained in liquor, candy, nuts, diet food and it can cause headache, thirst, high pressure, nausea.

11. E414 Arabic gum(Thickener). It’s very used as it’s contained in pretzels, candy, puddings, creams, sauces and chewin-gum and, in sensitive people, can cause asthma and rhinitis. E210 Benzoic Acid(Preservative). It’s an anti-mold preservative and is extracted from bluberrie and plums. It’s contained in softdrinks, caviar, jellies, jams, and supplements and causes allergic reactions and gastric irritations.

12. Then there are coloring agents used to color food and therefore defined food additives. There are two types: a type used for the mass coloration and another type used only for external surface coloring. They both belong to the category "E“.

13. An example of coloring agents are: E102 Tatrazina. It’s an artificial food coloring used to improve the appearance of yellow food. It causes allergic and intolerance reactions such as urticaria and asthma. It’s contained in foods such as peas, soft and flavored drinks, ice-creams, suops etc. E123 Amaranth. It’s a red-blu artificial food coloring, and is contained in foods such as bitter soda, fish’s eggs, bitter wines. It causes angioedema, asthma and others alergic reactions. E 160 Bixin.. It’s a natural food coloring used to improve the appearance of orange food It’s contained in margarine, cheeses, cereals and causes allergic reactions.

14. Today, if food is not enjoyable for our sight, smell and taste, we don’t buy it.That’s why producers use more and more additives that reproduce natural substances. A recent research, has discovered that some additives used in food for childhood increase problems of attention and hyperactivity in some children.

15. It’s necessary that producers don’t attempt to people’s health, but it is also important that people learn to read with attention labels and to avoid products full of additives.

16. Don’t menace our health, let’s eat fresh food without additives!!!