Practical Calculation of Food Additive Usage

Several notes on the maximum usage of food additives according to GB 2760A.1, such as "calculated aspropionic acidcalculated asoilincatechincalculated as", andpreservatives、antioxidantsand the same colorcolorantsthe sum of the proportions of the respective usage amounts to their maximum usage amounts should not exceed 1, etc. Food Partner Network has compiled several scenarios for calculating the usage amounts of food additives for your reference.

　　1

　　Sorbic acid and its potassium salts

　　Sorbic acid and potassium sorbate are preservatives widely used internationally. GB 2760 permits their use as preservatives in various foods and stipulates the maximum usage amount calculated as sorbic acid. When using potassium sorbate as a preservative, its usage amount needs to be converted. The usage amount is calculated based on the sorbic acid content of the potassium sorbate used. The following formula can be used for conversion:

　　For example, according to GB 2760, the maximum usage amount of sorbic acid and its potassium salts in bread, calculated as sorbic acid, is 1.0g/kg. If the purity of potassium sorbate is 100%, then, according to the above conversion formula, the maximum usage amount M of potassium sorbate is calculated as follows:

　　Similar cases include benzoic acid and its sodium salts, propionic acid and its sodium and calcium salts, indigo and its aluminum lake, etc.

　　2

　　Phosphoric acid and phosphate group

　　Assuming that the purity of each additive is 100%, the maximum usage amount should be calculated according to the phosphate content of each additive. Because the molar number of phosphate in food depends on the molar number of phosphorus provided by phosphoric acid and phosphates, the calculation of the usage amount of phosphoric acid and phosphates should be based on the molar number of phosphorus provided by the phosphate used being equal to the molar number of phosphate in the food. That is:

　　For example, in a certain cooked meat product, the usage amounts of phosphoric acid and disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate are 8g/kg respectively. Does this meet the standard requirements?

　　The maximum usage amount of phosphoric acid and phosphates in cooked meat products, calculated as phosphate, is 15.0g/kg, so it meets the standard requirements.

　　3

　　Potassium aluminum sulfate, ammonium aluminum sulfate

　　After using potassium aluminum sulfate and ammonium aluminum sulfate, it is necessary to ensure that the aluminum residue in the food (dry sample) does not exceed 100mg/kg. The detection method specified in "National Food Safety Standard Determination of Aluminum in Food" (GB 5009.182-2017) can be used for detection, and the obtained result is the aluminum residue in the dry sample. The permissible usage amount of potassium aluminum sulfate in food can be roughly calculated according to the aluminum content in the potassium aluminum sulfate used, i.e.:

　　For example, a certain bread with a moisture content of 18% uses potassium aluminum sulfate (AlK(SO4)2·12H2O) as a leavening agent, with a maximum usage amount m:

　　Therefore, to meet the standard requirement that the aluminum residue in bread (dry sample) ≤ 100mg/kg, the maximum usage amount of potassium aluminum sulfate in this bread cannot exceed 2.14g/kg. However, in practice, considering factors such as the background value of aluminum and the error in moisture determination, this calculated result will deviate from the actual maximum permissible usage amount and is for reference only.

　　4

　　Tea polyphenols

　　The maximum usage amount of tea polyphenols is calculated as catechin in oil. Generally, the content of tea polyphenols in food can be determined according to the methods in "Tea Products Part 2: Tea Polyphenols" (GB/T 31740.2-2015). However, in the initial stages of our R&D using tea polyphenols as antioxidants, we can also tentatively determine the usage amount of tea polyphenols through rough calculation, and then conduct repeated experiments to combine experimental effects and standard requirements to determine the appropriate usage amount.

　　For example, the calculation of the maximum usage amount M of tea polyphenols in a ready-to-eat oatmeal:

　　In this formula, the oil content A in the ready-to-eat oatmeal can be obtained through oil determination, or it can be roughly calculated from the approximate oil content in the ready-to-eat oatmeal; the catechin content B in the tea polyphenols needs to be provided by the supplier when purchasing the tea polyphenols; 0.2 is the maximum usage amount of tea polyphenols in ready-to-eat oatmeal (06.06 ready-to-eat cereals, including rolled oats (flakes)) specified in GB 2760, calculated as catechin in oil.

　　5

　　The sum of the proportions of the individual usage amounts of preservatives, antioxidants, and colorants of the same color to their maximum usage amounts should not exceed 1

　　This indicator is a frequently checked item in supervision and inspection, and the failure rate is relatively high. To calculate the sum of the proportions of the individual usage amounts of preservatives to their maximum usage amounts in a product, first, it is necessary to clarify all the preservatives used in the product, and then calculate according to the following formula:

　　According to the provisions of the "Guiding Opinions on the Standardized Use of Food Additives" (Shijian Shi Sheng [2019] No. 53) issued by the Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation, "Food production and operation enterprises should strengthen the control and inspection of food raw and auxiliary materials, and the food additives brought in by the raw and auxiliary materials should be calculated together to prevent the use of food additives beyond the scope and limit due to the introduction of raw and auxiliary materials." When calculating the sum of the proportions of the individual usage amounts of preservatives, antioxidants, and colorants of the same color to their maximum usage amounts, the situation of introduction from raw and auxiliary materials should also be considered.

　　Summary

      Based on the principle of minimizing the usage amount of food additives in food while achieving the desired effect, and the fact that supervision and inspection often determine whether food additives are used in excess based on the content of food additives in the final product (further on-site verification may be conducted for final determination), it is recommended that food enterprises minimize the actual added amount and not add food additives according to the calculated upper limit. The calculated result is only the theoretical added amount and may differ from the actual situation.