Chemistry is a big part of our everyday life. One can easily observe this branch of science in different spheres of human life such as in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the various cleansing agents we use, so much so that even human emotions are sometimes a result of chemical reactions within our body!
Chemicals of Food in Everyday Life
The following chemicals are widely used in food materials.
Colouring agents
Artificial preservatives
Flow stabilisers
Binding substance
Artificial sweetness
Antioxidants
Minerals
Vitamins
These substances do not have nutritional value except vitamins.
Artificial Preservatives: They prevent spoilage of food by stopping the growth of microorganisms. For example, sodium benzoate and sodium meta bisulphate.
Artificial Sweetness: They do not impart any calories to the body since these substances are excreted through urine. For example,
Aspartame: It is used in cool drinks and ice creams.
Alitame: It is 2000 times sweeter than sucrose.
Antioxidants: They prevent the spoilage of food by preventing the oxidation of food. For example,
Butylated hydroxyl tolerance (BHT)
Butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA)
Dyes are coloured organic compounds that are used to impart colour to various substrates, including paper, leather, fur, hair, drugs and cosmetics. Dyes are classified into natural dyes and synthetic dyes.