Researches have tried to find natural alternative materials to chemical food additives. The new material is chitosan.
Chitosan is the structural element in the exoskeleton of crustaceans (crabs, shrimp, etc.) and cell walls of fungi. Commercial chitosans are produced by deacetylation of chitin.

According to new findings published in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies using chitosan may act as an anti-microbial ingredient for orange juice, and remove the need for pasteurization.
It is also claimed that adding one gram of chitosan to one litre of fresh orange juice reduce both enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning of the juice.

The study was carried out by Postharvest Technology Unit (PTU) and Functional Ingredient Food Unit (FiFu) at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) with with chitosan in concentrations ranging from 0 to 2 grams per litre of juice. But it was found that over 1gram chitosan makes the taste of juice bitter and decrease the vitamin C content.

Sudan dyes are red colored dyes that are used in wax, petrol, shoes and polish. It is forbidden to use Sudan dyes in foods. This dye is carcinogenic and doesn’t exist in foods naturally.

According to Food Standards Agency’s report,  “Mix Bisar” spice mix are recalled due to illegal Sudan I existence. The product was exported by Euro Traders in Pakistan and imported by Alif Foods into the UK.

You can see the product details below;

• Product: Mix Bisar
• Description: Orange brown powder
• Quantity: 800g in plastic bags
• Labelling: White paper label includes details of Alif Foods and Euro Traders
• Packing date: March 2008
• Expiry date: February 2010

Several conservation methods have been used to prevent food spoilage and food poisoning ever since ancient times. These are; salting, drying and smoking. Nowadays, chilling, freezing, dehydration and canning methods are used.

You can see the names of food conservation methods below;

Preparing foods under hygiene rules

High temperature

• Boiling
• Vapour application
• Pasteurization

Low temperature

• Chilling
• Freezing
• Dehydration

High Osmotic Pressure

• Concentrated  sugar
• Salting

Chemical additives

• Organic acids
• Smoking
• Fermentation

Radiation

• UV lights
• Ionized radiation