Nutritional value of food can be improved and maintained by additives

The use of additives can enhance the nutritive value of food. Food additives are utilized for the purpose of restoring nutrients lost or degraded during production, fortifying or enriching certain foods in order to correct dietary deficiencies, or adding nutrients to food substitutes.

Additive such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and amino acids derivatives are utilized to increase the nutritive value of food. Vitamins and minerals are added to many common foods such as milk, flour, cereal and margarine to make up for those likely to be lacking in a person’s diet or lost in processing. When foods are processed, there may be loss of some nutrients and additives may be added to restore the original value.

A particular diet may also require the use of thickening agents, emulsifiers, sweeteners, etc. The fortification of foods began in 1924 when iodine was added to table salt for the prevention of goitre. Vitamins are commonly added to many foods in order to enrich their nutritional value. They help to increase the shelf life of the food by maintaining product consistency, wholesomeness and freshness.
Nutritional value of food can be improved and maintained by additives

Vitamin D as food additive

Many foods contain added vitamins and minerals that might not be in a person’s diet or that have been destroyed or lost in processing. Common nutritional additives include vitamin D in milk, vitamin A in margarine, vitamin C in fruit drinks, and iodine in salt.

Vitamin D is a nutrient found in some foods that is needed for health and to maintain strong bones. It does so by helping the body absorb calcium (one of bone’s main building blocks) from food and supplements.

The main sources of natural vitamin D are fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, mushrooms and also egg yolks. Vitamin D can also be obtained from food fortified with vitamin D, such as cereal products, bakery products, baby food, butter, and margarine. The most commonly used vehicles for vitamin D fortification are dairy products (milk, cheese and yogurt). Bread fortified with vitamin D could serve as a good source of vitamin D due to its common consumption.

Such fortification has helped prevent nutritional deficiency diseases that were once common, such as rickets (due to deficiency of vitamin D).
Vitamin D as food additive