What are artificial preservatives?
Artificial preservatives are chemical substances that are added to food during the manufacturing process. These chemical additives can slow down or restrict food deterioration caused by micro-organisms and oxidation reactions. Some of the most popular ones are sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, butylated hydroxy anisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Sodium benzoate is a preservative and microbial agent that is commonly used in tomato products, pickles, sauces, fruits, fruit salads, jams, and some meat and poultry products.
How eating artificial preservatives can affect your health
1. Breathing Difficulties
The significant effect of preservatives in foods is the possibility to cause breathing difficulties. Removing foods with preservatives from the diet may help in lowering the symptoms and the severity of breathing problems and asthma.
2. Cancer
One of the most harmful impact of preservatives on food items is their capability to transform into carcinogen agents. Moreover, the food items consist of nitrosamines, a preservative that has nitrites and nitrates, that mix with the gastric acids and form cancer-causing agents. To improve that you must avoid eating preservatives, and meals that contain nitrites and nitrates.
3. Heart Disease
The presence of preservatives in food items is the leading cause of heart problems. These preservatives will weaken the heart tissues. Also, will improve the chances of heart damage, when you consume food items that have remnants of the preservative on the surface
4. Behavioral Changes
Behavioral changes are particularly seen in children. In fact, the consumption of food additives and preservatives can lead to a huge increase in hyperactive behavior.
Should you avoid artificial preservatives?
Preservatives are used to preserve food items that help in increasing the shelf life of food items and maintain the flavor of food for a long time. However, all preservatives that are used in food items are not bad for health. Natural preservatives used to preserve food ‘as is’ are not harmful to health as they are not mixed with synthetic items and the chemical composition is not altered. Whereas, artificial or Chemical preservatives delay the contamination of foods and are the ones that can lead to health problems. Such preservatives are artificially made and synthetic in nature and are often labeled as additives on food labels.
How you can avoid such chemical-based food additives
Arjuna Natural developed a range of innovative solutions that enhance the shelf life and quality of food products without compromising safety or sensory attributes. Their food preservatives are made naturally, without using any harmful synthetic chemicals. Thus, making them the ideal choice for those of you who seek the coveted ‘green’ or ‘clean’ labels for your products. Their Extenfo range is a combination of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-oxidant components isolated from different natural sources. Their food preservative solutions offer complete customized protection against spoilage caused by both oxidative rancidity and microbial interventions. They’re also stable at high temperatures, are homogeneous in dispersion and have no effect on the texture or color of the food products.
