A box of milk contains 10 types of food additives, and a pack of instant noodles contains 25 types of food additives. In today's increasingly concerned food safety, there are occasional reports of harmful additives to people's health. When eating snacks and drinks, I often see the words "preservatives" and feel that they are not good for health, but sometimes I just want to eat some, which really puts me in a dilemma. When it comes to additives, citizen Xiao Liu sighed. Is food additive really that scary? Food experts answer your questions.

Nowadays, many people pick up a package of small food or a bottle of beverage on the dazzling supermarket shelves and inevitably look at the ingredients on the packaging. "There are many additives in the beverage," Ms. Li, who bought a beverage from a supermarket near Zhoushuizi, told reporters yesterday. She has repeatedly heard about the harmful effects of food additives on the human body and is also worried about whether they will affect her health when drinking beverages. Therefore, she squeezed fruit juice at home for a period of time to drink, "but this pure fruit juice does not taste good when drinking," Ms. Li said. In the end, she also decided to regain her passion for beverages.

With people's increasing emphasis on food safety, news about the harmful effects of additives on physical health often spreads to people's ears, making it difficult to eat comfortably. It is worth mentioning that some foods use "no preservatives" as a selling point.

Are preservatives really that scary?

During the interview, Professor Nong Shaozhuang from the School of Food Science at Dalian University of Technology talked to reporters about the issue of additives more than once. Professor Nong said that without food additives, there would be no modernization of the food industry, let alone a wide variety of dazzling foods. Food additives have played a significant role in the development of the food industry. Currently, the most discussed and influential topic among people is preservatives. Due to technical requirements such as taste, flavor, and vitamin preservation, beverages cannot be sterilized at high temperatures. If preservatives are not added, firstly, the shelf life of the beverage will be affected. Secondly, if some beverages spoil and become contaminated, the harm caused by bacteria and viruses is much greater than that caused by preservatives to the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to add preservatives to similar food products. Professor Nong also stated that having multiple names for additives does not necessarily mean that the dosage exceeds the standard. Everything has its limits. If food additives are used beyond the scope or excessively, they may cause harm to the human body. For example, drinking many bottles of beverages containing preservatives continuously for a certain period of time may result in excessive preservatives.

Many food professionals have expressed that food additives are not so scary. Any preservatives allowed by the state to be added, within the permitted range and dosage, adults do not need to worry about safety.

According to relevant information, the main function of preservatives in food is to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, prevent bacteria and molds from producing toxins in food, or prevent them from reproducing in large quantities and causing diseases. From this perspective, they are more effective than excessive.

The main function of preservatives in food is to inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria. There are many names for additives, but it does not mean that the dosage exceeds the standard. Any preservatives that are allowed to be added by the state, within the permitted range and dosage, adults do not need to worry about safety.