Food Additives, Adulteration and Nutrition
Domain 8 links additives, adulteration and nutrition. The exam tests permitted use, safety limits, detection principles and nutrient claims.
Core rules
- Additives are grouped by function: preservatives, antioxidants, colours, flavours, emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners, sweeteners and anti-caking agents.
- INS numbers are Codex codes used to identify additives on labels; permission depends on the food category and maximum level in the FSSAI regulations.
- ADI is the amount of an additive that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without appreciable risk, usually with a safety factor.
- Adulteration is deliberate addition of inferior or harmful substances; contamination is unintended. Common tests use iodine for starch, Sudan dye for chilli and metanil yellow for turmeric.
- Nutrition covers macronutrients, micronutrients, balanced diet, energy balance and deficiency diseases.
Worked example
Benzoic acid has an ADI of 5 mg/kg body weight. For a 60 kg adult, the daily limit is 60 × 5 = 300 mg. If a beverage contains 200 mg/kg, the maximum intake from that beverage alone is 300 ÷ 200 = 1.5 kg/day. Reasoning: ADI applies to total intake from all sources, so other foods reduce the permitted beverage amount.
Traps
- Assuming 'natural' means safe; natural toxins and unapproved plant extracts exist.
- Treating ADI as a single-meal toxicity limit; it is a lifetime daily intake guide.
- Confusing adulteration with accidental contamination.
- Accepting a nutrition claim without checking the legal criteria for 'high fibre' or 'low fat'.