Food ingredients refer to food ingredients that are used in small quantities in food formulas. There are different definitions for 'food ingredients'. Some consider food ingredients and food additives to be in a parallel relationship; Some people believe that food additives are a broad concept, including food ingredients; Some people believe that compound food additives are food ingredients; Others believe that food ingredients refer to all food ingredients.
Food raw materials can be divided into three categories: main food ingredients, food ingredients, and food additives.
Main food ingredients:
The main raw materials of food refer to agricultural and sideline products that are used in large quantities in food processing and have not undergone deep processing, mainly including noodles, rice, eggs, butter, sugar, etc. Food additives are generally high-purity chemical substances, which have been clearly defined in GB2760-2011.
Food ingredients (also known as food additives) refer to food that has been deeply processed and used in small doses. They are natural substances themselves, rather than the varieties listed in the food additive usage standards. Generally, there is no limit on the amount used, and they have the effect of improving food quality and enhancing processing performance. Such as ingredients in meat products, coating for fried foods, etc. Common food ingredients include starch, yeast products, oligosaccharides, proteins, dietary fiber, fillings, spices and seasonings, animal and plant extracts, beverage concentrates, etc. The difference between food ingredients and food additives lies in the large amount of food ingredients used.