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Food Additives M Magnesium Chloride - Helps preserve the color and texture of canned peas. It is generally recognized as safe by the FDA(GRAS). Magnesium Hydroxide - This additive is an alkali that keeps canned peas green as well as processed cheese smooth and bright. It is considered GRAS within guidelines. Magnesium Oxide - Anti-caking agent used for stabilizing butter, cocoa, canned peas, sherbet, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. Another of those GRAS within FDA guidelines. Magnesium Sulfate - This is the chemical name for epsom salts. It is used both as a laxative and an additive. When used as a laxative it should be followed with lots of water. This additive can cause nausea and have a bitter taste. It is used as a flavor enhancer by brewers and is GRAS when used within FDA guidelines. Malic Acid - Apples, apricots, cherries, and many other fruits contain this acid. In fact it is the major acid in these fruits. Its tartness is considered a valuable flavor booster by food manufacturers and is used in candies, baked goods, jams and jellies, fruit drinks, ice creams and sherbets. It is even used by those who make wine. GRAS Maltodextrin - This is derived from cornstarch and is a nonfermentable sugar. It is used as a texturizer and bulking agent in commercial candies, crackers, and puddings. Inside FDA guidelines it is GRAS. Maltol, Ethyl Maltol - These are flavor enhancers used to intensify the taste of chocolate, fruit and vanilla in a large assortment of processed foods. Both of these have been tested for safety, but since they are completely absorbed by the body, consumer watchdog groups have demanded further testing to prove they are harmless. Mannitol - This is a sugar substitute derived from seaweed.(It is actually a sugar alcohol) This sweetner is not totally absorbed by the body so it is only half as caloric as sugar. It is used mainly in dietetic gums and sweets. IT CAN CAUSE DIARRHEA AND OTHER DIGESTIVE UPSETS AND, IF EATEN IN LARGE QUANTITIES, CAN ALSO PUT A BURDEN ON THE KIDNEYS. Even knowing this, it is GRAS by the FDA. Further testing should be done on this additive before a final judgement should be made about mannitol. Menthol - A flavoring(natural and synthetic) that is used in candies, sodas, ice creams, baked goods, and chewing gums. It is also used in cough lozenges. GRAS Methyl Cinnemate - This is a fruity flavored, synthetic additive used in sodas, baked goods, gelatins, candies, ice creams, and chewing gum. IT IS MILDLY TOXIC AND IS STRICTLY REGULATED BY THE FDA. Modified Starch - This is starch that has been treated, chemically, to make it more blendable, improve its texture, and to fix its acidity. Food manufacturers rely on it to bind and thicken puddings, pie fillings, gravies, sauces, and all kinds of instant products and mixes. Baby food manufacturers use it to keep their products from oozing liquid, and so do frozen food processors that find it keeps gravies and sauces creamy and smooth from freezer to oven to table. Here are some of the chemicals used to modify this product: aluminum sulfate, propylene oxide, succinic anhydride, and sodium hydroxide. THIS PRODUCT IS HIGH ON THE FDA'S MUST RE-EVALUATE LIST. Monoglycerides - An additive derived from fats in which food processors use to stabilize sausages, lard, vegetable oils, margarines and shortenings. The most widely used, monoglyceride citrate, has strict limits imposed on it by the FDA. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) - This is a flavor enhancer that comes from the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid that is present in our bodies naturally. MSG also exists naturally in plants (mushrooms and carrots for example). Certain seaweeds are also high in MSG. The Japanese have been extracting it for over 2,000 years. The Chinese use MSG on just about everything, which would explain the headaches, burning, and twitching that is sometimes referred to as CHINESE RESTAURANT SYNDROME. The FDA has been testing it for years and continues to rate it GRAS, and in 1995, scientific advisors to the FDA agreed that it was safe for almost everyone. As a concession to those that are sensitive to MSG, the FDA requires that any product containing MSG, be so labeled. Monosodium Phosphate - This is used as a stabilizer in pork products to minimize the amount of liquid that cooks out. GRAS |
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