Food supplements and nutritional supplements are seemingly the same concept with mirrored words. However, these are completely different things. One thing unites them for sure – both are used in the food industry.
SuperFood has prepared a short summary for you to understand and not get confused by these definitions.
So, food supplements. These are biologically active additives, or dietary supplements, which are natural or identical to natural; they also include probiotic microorganisms. Dietary supplements are consumed with food or introduced into the composition of certain foods.
The Rospotrebnadzor website states that dietary supplements are additional sources of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other biologically active substances that can optimize a person’s diet, “but cannot be used to treat any diseases, since they are not drugs.
Nutritional supplements for food are released into circulation on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union, provided that they have passed the necessary conformity assessment procedures established by the technical regulations of the Customs Union”.
We have already written about food additives in our materials more than once, so today we will tell you more about food additives.
Substances with the help of which you can increase the shelf life of food, improve or preserve the taste of food, improve the texture or appearance – these are food additives.
Since ancient times, people have used them for the purposes listed above. For example, salt was used as a guarantor of the “longevity” of cucumbers, bacon, dried fish and so on, sugar – to create jams, jams, which retained their taste and shelf life for a long time.
Today, in industry, the use of food additives is not appropriate in all cases, but only in those when certain technical goals are pursued. The presence of such substances in the composition will not mislead the consumer if they were used in order to preserve the presentation of the product, ensure its safety at all stages of production, take care of its nutritional value, and increase the shelf life.
Today, there are several thousand nutritional supplements on the market that perform specific functions. The substances used are different – additives of animal, vegetable and mineral origin, as well as synthetic ones.
WHO (World Health Organization) together with FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)) divide all food additives into three broad categories: flavors, enzymes and other additives.
The most common group of substances is additives added to food to improve the taste and aroma of products, that is, flavoring. They are widely used in the food industry and are used to create yoghurts, cereals, sweets, drinks (alcohol-free), and so on. Fruits, spices, nut mixtures are natural flavoring additives.
Enzyme preparations are supplements made with enzymes (naturally occurring proteins). Enzyme preparations can be present in baked goods to improve the properties of the dough, and can also be used to create juices, beer, wine, cheese and cheese products.
And finally, the third group – additives with the name “other”: can be added to food at any stage of product development in order to give it a good color, sweet taste and increase the shelf life.
Prevent contamination with foodborne diseases (such as botulism), preserve the nutritional quality of the product, protect it from exposure to air, bacteria, yeast, mold – these and other functions can be performed by preservatives; dyes are on the “guard” of the color lost during the creation of the product; sweeteners that are not sugars are used as alternatives to sugar and have little or no energy value.
Do food additives pose a health risk? The risk assessment from such substances is carried out by an independent committee of international experts FAO and WHO – JECFA (Joint FAO / WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). The community only permits use of additives that do not pose a significant risk to human health – the conclusion is made on the safety assessment of each substance. This applies not only to synthetic food additives, but also to natural ones. Based on the results of the examination, the national authorities issue a permit for the use of a particular additive in the food industry, while approving the permissible dosage of the substance and other nuances.
With regard to food labeling, international commissions also have standards and guidelines that are followed in most countries. According to the rules, manufacturers are required to indicate which food additives are used in a food product – this allows people with allergies and other contraindications to carefully study the composition on the label.
The material was prepared by Alexandra Goryunova
Information taken from open sources WHO and Rospotrebnadzor