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Food items are made of many products, many known and some unknown. One needs to understand some of the basic terms that can help in picking the right kind of food items as per the requirements.
Spices
Spices are used to add flavor to all the food items. The main use of spices is to make the food not only look good but have a savor aroma.
Sweeteners
Sweeteners are usually available in two types, both natural and artificial. The food items that need to have exotic sweet flavor, require sweeteners. Most of the sweeteners available in the market these days are fat free and cholesterol free. The color of the food items can be enhanced using food colors that work perfectly for getting the perfect color and maintaining it.
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners give foods the texture and consistency that the customers expect. These are also used to help the baked goods rise during the baking process. Some additives help to control the acidity of the food items while maintaining the taste and appeal of the foods with very low fat content.
Food Additives
Food additives are mainly used as an important ingredient for preserving the flavor, taste and the life of the food, thus giving it a great color and smooth texture. The main usage of preservatives seen in the products is that might it get spoilt due to yeast, bacteria, fungi and mold.
Preservatives
Preservatives are also used to maintain the quality of the food items that might become spoilt due to the in borne harmful agents. The main examples of preservatives are sodium nitrate, ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene.
Food color additives are used to enhance the color of the food items, to offset the color loss due to exposure to light and air, to provide color variations for making the food look colorful and to add that punch to the colorless food items.
Sweeteners that are low in calories not only make the food tasty but prevent from the extra consumption of calories. Almost all low-calorie sweeteners are about thousand times sweeter than the normal sugar and have almost negligible level of calories. Thus, these low-calorie sweeteners not only make the food taste same as that with the normal sugar but reduce the calorie intake significantly.
To have detailed knowledge about most used, food items, check our Ingredients Glossary section.
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