A Closer Look at What You’re Eating|What Are Additives?

After years of studies and the constant spotlight on reading the back label on food items, people are starting to make smarter decisions. Even though there’s a lot of work to be done, a new book by photographer Dwight Eschliman and writer Steve Ettlinger is letting us know what these weird additives we know nothing about look like. The book called Ingredients seeks to demystify 75 common food additives.

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What exactly is an additive? Additives are substances that are used in small quantities, their main purpose is to improve flavor or preserve it. Most of them are white powders or clear liquids, which makes them easy to hide in food. The authors of the book tracked down 75 of these additives and about 60% came from chemical supply companies that got their additives from China.

Examples of Food Additives

• Diacetyl: A chemical found in butter flavoring.
• Azodicarbonamide: A chemical substance that whitens cereal flour, used in breakfast cereals and bread.
• Acesulfame potassium: A potassium salt used in protein shakes and as an artificial sweetener in drinks.
• Xanthan gum: Sugar-like compound used to make medicine that lowers blood sugar and cholesterol. Also found in toothpaste.
• High fructose corn syrup: A sweetener made from cornstarch that is processed and is found in soda and fruit-flavored drinks.
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG): A flavor enhancer commonly found in Chinese food, canned products and processed meats.
• Dihydrogen monoxide: Chemical compound that is used as an industrial solvent and coolant.
• Sodium benzoate: Food preservative that occurs naturally in cranberries, apples and other fruits. It’s also found in processed food and soft drinks.
• Chlorophyll: This is a green pigment found in plants, it’s used in processed foods as an additive that helps preserve the green color in foods like canned vegetables.
• Beta carotene: A reddish orange pigment found in plants and fruits, it is also used as that rich beautiful color that canned carrots have.

While many of us think that the sole purpose of this book is to encourage people to skip the processed food aisle at the supermarket—it’s not. They chose additives that they could categorize into neutral, negative and positive, that way the book wouldn’t lean too heavily to one direction. It’s more about educating where these ingredients come from and seeing what they look like. Each photo in the book gives a clear look of the additive’s color and texture, as well as additive trivia, where we can learn a thing or two about our favorite processed foods. You will learn more about the additives, where they come from, and how they are used. Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products could be found at your local book store.

NEXT: Cooking At Home: Why It Makes All The Difference