The list of ingredients on some processed foods reads like a page out of a chemistry book, leaving some consumers curious, or wary, about what is in their food.
If the words carrageenan, alginates, guar gum, Xanthan gum, gum Arabic, locust bean gum or cellulose sound familiar, it is probably because you have seen them on the ingredient labels of everything from soup to yogurt.
These ingredients fall under a broad category called hydrocolloids, which also includes starches and gelatin. Hydrocolloids are often used to impact product viscosity (a fluid's resistance to flowing), affect texture or body, stabilize emulsions (like oil in water) and prevent formation of ice crystals or films (like what forms on stovetop pudding).
""Of all the gel-forming compounds found in foods, [gelatins] are probably the best because ... they melt at body temperature, so they give ‘melt-in-the-mouth' quality,"" said food science professor Doug Hyslop. For this reason, gelatin is used in fat-reduced foods to emulate the feeling of fat and to increase volume without adding calories.
Gelatin refers to a ""brittle protein formed by boiling the specially prepared skin, bones and connective tissue of animals,"" according to the American Heritage Dictionary.
According to Scott Rankin, an associate professor of food science, gelatin is used to stabilize ice cream, which is actually frozen foam. Essentially, the purpose of such stabilizers is to ""extend the shelf-life of ice cream relative to ice crystal formation,"" said Rankin.
According to Babcock Quality Assurance Specialist Catherine Landers, gelatin is used in the standard Babcock ice cream mixes, but not in the super premium mixes, sherbet mixes or frozen yogurt mixes.
""Gelatin is a stabilizer in ice cream,"" said Landers. ""It makes the ice cream have a smooth, creamy texture by binding water."" Large ice crystals from free, un-bound water make the ice cream ""feel rough on your tongue, and make the ice cream look runny as it melts. Our ice cream has a very smooth texture on your tongue and is still very creamy as it melts.""
Landers added that Babcock uses pork-based gelatin, but it is actually considered kosher.
Preservatives are another class of ingredients. According to Kathleen Glass, UW-Madison research scientist for food microbiology and toxicology, ""a preservative is anything that will extend the shelf-life of the food.""
According to Glass, there are three main categories of preservatives: those that prevent growth of disease-causing bacteria, those that control spoilage caused by otherwise harmless microorganisms and those that keep foods tasting fresh.
Glass said the first category of preservatives represents one instance where ""consuming the food with preservatives [is] often less risky than consuming the foods without preservatives.
The third category of preservatives includes butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). Oxygen can cause spoilage by reacting with fats in the food, thereby causing rancidity. The antioxidants BHA and BHT prevent this. Glass said butter, milk, a variety of snacks and beer are all likely to contain BHA.
Finally, some ingredients are actually added strictly for their unique flavor attributes, even if their names don't sound appetizing. For example, Glass said that food manufacturers add yeast extract to yield a bit of salty flavor.
Disodium ionsinate/guanylate (found in soup mixes, among other things) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) are two other flavor enhancers that allow less salt to be used.
Despite their unusual names, most of these food additives come from natural sources, including a variety of edible waxes, according to Landers.
""The most surprising to many people is a beetle extract [called cochineal] that's used as a colorant in many foods,"" said Landers. ""It is safe and FDA-approved."" Landers said more information on FDA-approved additives can be found on the website .
Food science graduate student Renee Lietha said there is also food-grade shellac that is often used to coat hard candies to make them shiny. You will never see ""shellac"" on an ingredients label, however. It is sold under different industry pseudonyms, including ""confectioner's coating.""
According to Rankin, the hydrocolloid carrageenan comes from Irish moss, a type of red algae.
""People love food additive folklore, but the stuff that goes into food is mostly very boring,"" commented Landers.
