Preservatives and condiments

Food additives

A food additive is a substance added to food to improve its flavour, colour, texture or keeping quality. Additives may be natural (salt, sugar, vinegar, herbs, turmeric) or synthetic. They must be safe and used in the correct amounts.

Herbs and spices

Spice or herb	Part used	Use
Cloves	Dried flower bud	Pilau, tea, meat; Zanzibar is famous for them
Cinnamon	Bark	Cakes, tea, pilau
Cardamom	Seed pod	Tea, rice, desserts
Pepper	Berry	Soups, meat
Ginger	Root	Tea, meat, bakery
Turmeric	Root	Colour and flavour for rice and curries
Garlic and onion	Bulb	Flavour for most dishes
Basil, mint, parsley, coriander	Leaves	Flavour, garnish, salads

Colours and flavourings

Food colours make food attractive. Natural ones include turmeric (yellow), beetroot (red), spinach (green) and caramel (brown). Flavourings include vanilla, essences, lemon juice and spices. They should be used in small amounts.

Preservative	How it works	Used for
Salt	Draws out water so microbes cannot grow	Fish, meat
Sugar	High concentration stops microbes	Jam, syrup
Vinegar (acid)	Acid prevents growth	Pickles
Sodium benzoate	Stops yeasts and moulds	Drinks, sauces
Smoke, oil	Seals and dries	Fish

Condiments are sauces and seasonings added at the table, such as salt, pepper, tomato sauce, chilli sauce and mustard. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure.

Higher concentrations of salt preserve better, because they stop more microbes.

Try itBrine strength

Make a brine. Choose the mass of salt and the volume of water (1 cm³ of water has a mass of 1 g).

Check yourself Which spice is the dried flower bud of a tree grown in Zanzibar?

Check yourself Salt preserves food by

Check yourself A natural yellow colour comes from

Key terms

Additive: A substance added to improve food.
Preservative: An additive that prevents spoiling.
Condiment: A seasoning added at the table.
Spice: A strongly flavoured plant part used in cooking.

Summary

Additives improve flavour, colour, texture and keeping quality.
Herbs and spices come from leaves, roots, bark, seeds and buds.
Salt, sugar, acid and chemicals preserve food.
Use all additives in small, safe amounts.