Everyday, the foods we eat contain a handful of ingredients, some well known, others we’re unable to pronounce. The food industry is responsible for listing these ingredients for consumers to read, but that is the limit to their responsibility. It is not required that they explain ingredients or the effects they can have on the body. After tracking my food intake, I found I only knew a handful of the ingredients. Out of the ingredients I didn’t know, three ingredients stuck out to me and I decided to research what these ingredients where made of, how they affect the body, and why the food industry included them in their products. Learning about these ingredients opened my eyes to what I was really putting in my body and the affects ingredients …show more content…
could have. Maltodextrin was an ingredient found in Nature Valley Almond Bars that I was unfamiliar with. After researching the ingredient, I learned how common it is in the food industry.
Maltodextrin is a white powder that is created from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat, and although it comes from plants, it’s highly processed (Shaefer and Baker, 2016). The process of making maltodextrin involves cooking the starches, and then adding acids or enzymes, which increases the breakdown (Shaefer and Baker, 2016). Once the process of creating maltodextrin is complete, the final product is a white powder that is water-soluble, has a neutral taste, and is used to thicken processed foods (Shaefer and Baker, 2016). The process of making meltodextrin is inexpensive and because of its neutral taste, the food industry uses it in a handful of food items such as dressings, yogurts, spices and chips (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). Maltodextrin is found in more foods than MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils, and overall has more good than bad affects, but has not created the same hype as these other ingredients (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). This ingredient has been able to stay under the radar because it doesn’t have to be labeled as a sugar, and is often used by dietary companies, which leads people to believe it is healthy (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). When used in dietary products maltodextrin may
have positive affects. Maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate and due to its high glycemic index its able to go through the digestive system extremely fast, which is beneficial after hard, long workouts (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). Maltodextrin can quickly get energy and protein to your muscles after a tough workout, and provides energy without causing dehydration during long ones (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). If consumed during a time when this energy is not needed, maltodextrin can potentially be worse for the body than sugar (Is Maltodextrin bad for you, n.d). Maltodextrin is stored as fat in the body when not used for energy and has a higher glycemic index than sugar, which can cause an increase in blood pressure (Shaefer and Baker, 2016). Overall, Maltodextrin is a common ingredient that is hard to avoid, and only benefits the body if consumed during a specific time. Another unknown ingredient that is found in turkey lunch meat, was carrageenan. Carrageenan is an ingredient that has been under speculation for many years because research shows that there are mixed reviews on the how the product affects the body. Carrageenan is a versatile fiber that is extracted from seaweed, a process so easy it could be done in your kitchen (What is Carrageenan, n.d). It can be found in food products, dietary supplements, personal care products, and pharmaceutical products (What is Carrageenan, n.d). Food industries include carrageenan in their products because it produces a more indulgent product by adding to the texture, structure and physical appearance of the food (What is Carrageenan, n.d). It is also an inexpensive and easy to access alternative that is, gluten free, non-GMO, and animal fat free, which are all appealing aspects to the food industry (What is Carrageenan, n.d). Although carrageenan has many appealing benefits, there has been research done about the potential problems associated with the ingredient. There have been studies done that show how destructive the ingredient can be to the digestive system (K, 2017). Research showed that carrageenan triggers an immune response that is similar to the response the body would give if invaded by salmonella (K, 2017). This research is still ongoing and is now beginning to shine light on the different health problems such as, cancers, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, that may be associated with the ingredient (K, 2017). While this research is ongoing and these correlations haven’t been proven, people are beginning to protest the ingredient in their foods. Many companies are continuing to stand by carrageenan as an ingredient, but some have begun to search for substitutes (Charles, 2016). Overall carrageenan is a simple, readily available ingredient that to date has no correlation to health issues, and is commonly used among the food industry. Another, very broad and misleading, ingredient found in multiple food items is natural flavoring. The word natural creates the idea that the flavoring is provided by a natural source and has been added to the product without any adaptations, but this belief has its faults. While natural flavors do come from natural sources, they are purified and extracted before added to the food (Woerner, 2015). Natural Flavors are the fourth most common ingredients found in foods, and are often thought of as a better option than artificial flavors, but the line between the two are fuzzy (Woerner, 2015). As stated earlier, natural flavors do come from natural sources, and artificial flavors are created, however after the natural sources are enhanced, they aren’t much better than artificial flavors (Woerner, 2015). Natural Flavors is a vague term that mask a handful of ingredients included in the product (Woerner, 2015). This allows the food industry to use ingredients, and not have to list them on packaging. As well as decreasing the number of ingredients, the food industry uses natural flavors for a handful of other reasons. Food industries goal is to create foods that are appealing and have a short intense flavor to keep people coming back for more, which are both achievable with Natural flavors (Woerner, 2015). Food industries are quick to use Natural Flavors because the provide the chance to hide ingredients while increasing improving the appearance and taste of food. This benefits the food industry but provides a lot of unknown for consumers. After learning about the ingredients in my food, it opened my eyes to how much I don’t know. Before completing this project, I thought of myself as someone who was cautious about what I put in my body and felt that I could differentiate between healthy and unhealthy products. This project showed me that there are many aspects of my diet that I am unaware of. I learned that even though a product may appear to be healthy, there could be single ingredients that have negative affects on my body. I also learned that the food industries primary concern isn’t on the affects ingredients may have on the body, but instead creating products that are appealing to consumers. Reading ingredients on food labels, and looking up those I’m unfamiliar with will be beneficial to my body and can inform me of things the food industry tries to hide. Maltodextrin, carrageenan, and natural flavors are all ingredients found in the products I eat and are common among many other. The food industry is quick to use these easy to access, inexpensive ingredients, and tell consumers the bare minimum about them. Including the bare minimum about ingredients makes it the consumers responsibility to take the time to learn what they’re made of and how they affect our bodies.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
Aspartame, or more commonly known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure; was discovered purely by chance in 1965 by a chemist named James M. Schlatter, who was testing an antacid drug (Prantini; 2014). The commercial industry believed that “a wonder product” had been discovered, which stood to revolutionise the food industry as an artificial sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is found in many of our foods and beverages universally. Aspartame is two-hundred times sweeter than sugar and is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, a sweetener in prepared foods, diet foods or drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, condiments and is even found in flavoring of medicines. It is found in majority of our food products marketed for weight control (Prantini; 2014). Aspartame has a sweeter taste in comparison to sugar, and therefore less of the sweetener can be used in food products in order to achieve the same level of sweetness as if sugar was used; which results in an individual consuming fewer calories and less sugar (American Cancer Society; 2014).
In the documentary, Food Inc., we get an inside look at the secrets and horrors of the food industry. The director, Robert Kenner, argues that most Americans have no idea where their food comes from or what happens to it before they put it in their bodies. To him, this is a major issue and a great danger to society as a whole. One of the conclusions of this documentary is that we should not blindly trust the food companies, and we should ultimately be more concerned with what we are eating and feeding to our children. Through his investigations, he hopes to lift the veil from the hidden world of food.
Some might complain about the guilt they feel knowing they are willingly consuming sodium benzoate and soybean oil. Which, according to Warner, isn’t a bad thing. If one is buying a blueberry muffin, most likely, they’d be interested to know that those “blueberry” pieces are the result of an experiment. If it was common knowledge that out of the 5,000 additives found in food barely a half has been tested, American’s would ponder their diet. While change is never easy, it isn’t hard to spark a movement towards change. This is evident with the shift towards eating better. Perhaps it will amount to no more than a trend, but throughout history, science has never surpassed the natural world. That is why the natural world has survived as long as it can, because, in many ways, it’s the best you can get. Pandora’s Lunchbox possess the ability to spark something more than a general knowledge of cereal factories.
Many argue the importance of food and its nutritional value. Food Science has been a heavily debated topic for years. Today, this topic sparks even more controversy. In Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Pollan shares several aspects of insight on different topics about health and how it should be approached. Pollan breaks down his overall beliefs and explanations from food nutrients to health risk factors. This book has allowed many readers and scientists to approach eating and health from different perspectives.
With all the unregulated dietary supplements being sold and recommended, our health insurance costs will continue to rise. If the product causes severe side effects, it should no longer be permitted to be sold in stores. The only way to touch the minds of many people is to inform them of the dangers of consuming dietary supplements. Disposing of all incorrect information in product labeling and ingredient lists is important. People need to recognize the faults that plague many advertisements. In addition businesses should promote safe products instead of the harmful ones that they advocate for. The United States Congress should consider regulating dietary supplements to maintain safety. If people are aware of the many lies companies present, then dietary supplements will be one less problem to worry about.
Many academic, scientific, and regulatory organizations are considering ways to establish the scientific basis to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. Consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has increased the demand for information about functional foods. More recently, the food industry, the agricultural community, and now consumers have shown a growing interest in the field of...
This experiment is based on being able to properly isolate/purify trimyristin from nutmeg and synthesize myristic acid from trimyristin. Liquid-solid extraction and recrystallization are the techniques used to isolate/purify the trimyristin from nutmeg. Base hydrolysis is the technique used to synthesize the myristic acid from trimyristin. Isolating trimyristin from nutmeg is considered natural product chemistry. Natural product chemistry involves isolating organic compounds from living things, such as plants (Weldegirma 2016). Usually, natural product chemistry is complicated, intensive, and tedious. However, the isolation of trimyristin is not very difficult because a large portion of nutmeg is made up of trimyristin. Trimyristin is a unique triglyceride, as all three of its fatty acid groups are identical.
For years, I have been eating what I want. Food choices are a significant factor that affects our health. What we like or crave, often, is the determining variable in what we eat. Finding the right balance of food choices is the key factor in improving our health benefits. Choosing nutrient-dense foods will provide more nutritional value than foods that are found to be low in nutrient density. Making the right choices in foods, however, is extremely difficult. Often, I find myself enthralled in the latest fad, not considering the subtext of the foods I am eating, such as nutrients, vitamins, healthy fats and unhealthy fats, cholesterol and minerals. The diet project underlined a three-day food entry intake that provided a dietary analysis report
More and More people are becoming concerned about what they eat, especially if they consume food products that are manufactured in food industries. However, it is hard to know what exactly you are consuming if food industries provide false nutrition content and mislead consumers by placing false advertisements on the packaging. When a company produces a product that contains misleading label, consumers are not receiving complete information about the food they are eating which could lead to health issues including allergies and problems with diabetes.
There was a feud between feminists who wanted flibanserin regardless of the side effects, and FDA who believed the approval for safety of flibanserin was an elongated process. This paper will explain the six reasons why flibanserin had been mistakenly approved by FDA.
Daily, millions of people are perusing the grocery store, buying food for their families, completely unaware of what they are purchasing. A study on consumer research regarding food labels by the FDA found only a small percentage of people actually read the food labels and understand what they mean apart from only the calories and fat; ingredients are another story. “According to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, about 61.5 percent reported using the nutrition facts panel when deciding to purchase food. Fewer people paid attention to the list of ingredients” (CNN Health). The FDA is aware that labeling could help reverse the acceleration we are seeing in heart diseases and obesity, but labeling does not help people to read the ingredients if they do not understand pseudonyms, and vitamins. “The surveys also revealed frequent misunderstanding of the meaning of the daily/value column that shows how each nutrient fits into a healthy diet, “(American journal Nutrition, WEB). Many different harmful ingredients are secretly hidden in labels and people skimming ov...
Maize also has uses beyond being used as a food source or being turned into oil. Maize’s main use is for food, but it can be used in creative ways. For example the popped kernels of maize, commonly referred to as ‘popcorn’ is seasoned and coated in different ways in order to make the ethnic foods of Vietnam and Peru. Corn is also used to create basic alternative medicines and herbal supplements using the corn silk, but this use is not often capitalized on. The starches from maize are a major source of material for products like plastics, fabrics, and adhesives. Also a by-product from the maize ‘wet milling’ process called ‘corn step liquor’ is of a major use to the biochemical industry because it is a perfect culture to grow many kinds of m...
Starch-based snacks and ready-to-eat breakfast cereal continue to increase in sales worldwide. Starch-based snacks are commonly made in the form of puffed products. Puffed products are appreciated mainly for their lightness and crispness. These qualities are related to the air cellular structure and degree of expansion. Puffing is a process used for engineering structures and properties of food materials to give a light, airy and crispy texture (Nath and Chattopadhyay, 2008; Mariotti et al., 2006). Process for making starch-based puffed products includes gelatinization of starch, cooling, drying, and then explosive expansion (Hoke et al., 2007). After starch gelatinization, retrogradation of starch molecules, amylose and amylopectin occurred during cooling and aging of the pastes (Perdon et al., 1999; Ji et al., 2007; Mariotti et al., 2009). The amylose-amylopectin ratio, which commonly reported in term of amylose content, has been known to be an important parameter affecting physical properties of starch pastes/gels and characteristics of puffed products (Hibi and Hikone, 1998; Boischot et al., 2003; Cheow et al., 2004; Saeleaw and Schleining, 2010). The retrograded amylose prepared for the crystal nuclei, which can increase the nuclei crystal growth, so the higher amylose content, the faster starch retrograded (Biliaderis, 1992) which showed high retrogradation enthalpy (Vandeputte et al., 2003; Narpinder et al., 2006) and provided the harder gel. For rice flour mixtures, the higher amylose content gave the higher density, but the lower expansion ratio of puffed products (Chen and Yeh, 2001). The effects of AC on gel physical properties and puffed product characteristic were commonly done by mixing two different amylose conte...
Food extrusion is a high-temperature short-time process “HTST” which utilizes a combination of temperature, pressure, and shear force to convert the moistened starchy and proteinaceous raw materials into highly expanded, low-density products with unique physicochemical properties. Advantages of extrusion process include improving digestibility by gelatinization of starch, denaturation of proteins and inactivation of anti-nutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitors. In addition, the high temperature applied during extrusion cooking ensures hygienic quality. The degradation of food nutrients through extrusion process was minimized due to the short time of heating treatment (Singh et al. 2014; Mouquet et al.