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Food Additives
and Drink Additives
Additives
perform a diverse range of functions in foods and are
governed in the UK by, amongst others:
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 Levels
of additives are often in the parts per million
or parts per billion range and methods are continually
being developed to be increasingly sensitive.
Permitted additives are defined, as well as
(in some cases) maximum permissible levels,
by legislation.
Imported
goods may require to be checked for both aspects
of UK/EU legislation.
In most cases analysis is carried out using
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
with sophisticated detection systems. Within
the Eclipse Scientific Group, most of the testing
requested is for the antioxidant, preservative
and sweetener categories. Additives commonly
tested for include: |
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Aspartame |
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Saccharin |
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Acesulfam
K |
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Benzoate/benzoic
acid |
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Sorbate/sorbic
acid |
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Ascorbate/ascorbic
acid |
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BHA/BHT
(butylated hydroxyanisole/ butylated
hydroxytoluene) |
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Sulphur
dioxide |
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Some
of the above are also encompassed within our participation
in various Proficiency Schemes, including the Food Analysis
Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS). |
The following is intended as a general example of additives and their uses. The particular additives will of course be used in a wider range of products and many instances of products listed will be available without the additive.
| E122 Camoisine |
Red dye, used in Marzipan, Swiss Rolls, Brown Sauces, Yoghurts various drinks, |
| E102 Tartrazine |
Yellow dye, Used in Squashes, cake mixes, ice cream, mustard, yoghurts, some tinned foods |
| E104 Quinoline yellow |
Yellow dye used in: Smoked Haddock, Scotch Eggs, chewing gum |
| E124 Ponceau 4R |
Red dye used in desert toppings, salami, salad dressings, cheesecakes, trifles, drinks |
| E129 Allura Red |
Orange/Red dye used in: Sweets, soft drinks, condiments, medications, cosmetics |
| E211 Sodium Benzoate |
Anit-Bacterial Preservative and flavour enhancer used in: barbecue sauces, salad dressings, soy sauce, lollipops fruit pies |
| E110 Sunset Yellow |
Yellow dye used in Orange squash, jelly, jam, lemon curd, packet soups, canned fish, cheeses suaces, sweets: |
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| Results
can be offered in a variety of formats including
e-mail, first class post, fax and direct data transfer. |
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Eclipse Food testing Laboratory
offers a comprehensive range of UKAS
accredited microbiological and chemical analyses, including:-
Nutritional information labelling, vitamins and minerals,
preservatives and other additives, contaminants & metals,
toxins, pesticide and veterinary residues, pathogen testing,
shelf-life studies, HACCP and food hygiene consultancies.
Wide experience of serving the dairy industry. Monitoring
of mineral and bottled waters, soft and alcoholic drinks. |
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Pharmaceutical
Testing - Voelcker
Consultants - Pesticide
Residue - Restec
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News
from Eclipse
