Natural pigments are mainly extracted from plants, and many possess physiological activity. In the past decade or so, the number of natural colorants approved for use in China has increased from over 20 to over 40, making China the country with the most approved natural colorants in the world. Many have disease-preventing and anti-inflammatory functions, such as turmeric (anti-cancer), safflower yellow (hypertensive), paprika red (antioxidant), chrysanthemum yellow (antioxidant), sorghum red (antioxidant), corn yellow (anti-cancer and antioxidant), red yeast rice (lipid-lowering), sea buckthorn yellow (antioxidant), mulberry red (lipid-lowering), peanut skin red (blood-clotting), grape skin red (lipid-regulating), lithospermum red (anti-inflammatory), and tea chlorophyll (lipid-regulating). Various research reports indicate that they all have health-promoting functions, and some have no restrictions on usage. Two varieties of natural pigments that have seen rapid development are worth noting: red yeast rice and lutein. Although red yeast rice is an ancient variety of food colorant, it has gained international attention due to the discovery that it contains lofostatin, a factor that regulates blood lipids. Red yeast rice exports are around 400 tons. A portion of these products contain 0.4-0.8% lofostatin. Domestically, many lipid-lowering drugs and health products are also made from red yeast rice. The existence of open-ring and closed-ring chemical structures of lofostatin and its determination methods have been researched and resolved by the School of Applied Arts and Sciences of Beijing Union University. Regarding lutein extracted from marigolds, it has received widespread attention in recent years due to the discovery that high intake of lutein can reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Lutein was also a hot product at the 2000 European Health Food Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. my country exports thousands of tons of marigold extract annually.
Sweeteners
Sweeteners are divided into two categories: non-nutritive high-intensity sweeteners and nutritious sweeteners. High-intensity sweeteners are further divided into chemically synthesized and natural extracts. Natural high-intensity sweeteners include stevia, monk fruit sweetener, sematriol, and licorice sweetener. Among natural high-intensity sweeteners, only glycyrrhizin, including glycyrrhizic acid and potassium glycyrrhizate, has been confirmed and commercialized for its medicinal properties. Its sweetness is approximately 200 times that of sucrose. As a food sweetener, it has been included in my country's GB2760 hygiene standard for many years. In food, glycyrrhizin is used in candied fruits and preserved fruits from Southwest China. Inner Mongolia produces glycyrrhizin lemon tea and glycyrrhizin oral liquid. In the past, because licorice was entirely wild and indiscriminate harvesting damaged vegetation, the development of glycyrrhizin was somewhat limited and could not be widely promoted. In September 2001, the Ministry of Health issued a notice prohibiting the use of wild licorice extract as an ingredient in health foods, except for those proven to be artificially cultivated. Studies have shown that glycyrrhizin extracted from licorice has significant detoxification functions and is commonly used in herbal formulations and cough suppressants, which are already well-known. Recently, Japan and my country have developed drugs for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis. Ganlixin, a drug in the domestic market, has been approved by the State Drug Administration and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security as a designated drug for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis. The active ingredient in Ganlixin is ammonium glycyrrhizate. Sugar alcohols, including sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, and lactitol, are all hexahydrols. They generally have anti-caries properties and do not affect blood sugar levels, making them suitable as sugar substitutes for diabetics. However, they are not fully metabolized and only provide some calories. They are widely used in sugar-free chewing gum in Europe and America. Xylitol, a penthydrol, while similar in function to the aforementioned hexahydrols, has the highest sweetness (similar to sucrose) and calorie content among all sugar alcohols. It should be the preferred nutritional sweetener for diabetics and is approved by pharmaceutical authorities as an adjunct therapy. Xylitol not only prevents tooth decay and does not raise blood sugar but also has liver-protective functions, a unique feature among sugar alcohols. Furthermore, due to the recent popularity of bifidobacterium growth factor oligosaccharides in China, and considering that most microorganisms cannot utilize xylitol, it is possible that bifidobacteria can. Xylitol, maltitol, sorbitol, and lactitol are the four sugar alcohols mentioned. A common drawback of sugar alcohols is their poor tolerance in the human body; excessive consumption can cause intestinal rumbling and diarrhea (this is a physical effect, and the symptoms disappear naturally upon discontinuation of consumption). Therefore, isomaltitol and erythritol, which have better tolerance, have been developed abroad, and both have been successfully tested in my country.
Thickeners:
Many hydrosols and their degradation products possess physiological activity. For example, high-methoxyl pectin not only removes cholesterol from food but also inhibits the production of endogenous cholesterol. Degraded guar gum can regulate blood lipids, and new physiological activities have been discovered in older varieties. For instance, xanthan gum has been shown to have antioxidant and immune-boosting functions in animal experiments; potassium alginate is a commonly used thickener. Low-molecular-weight potassium alginate has been clinically proven to have a significant hypotensive effect.
Emulsifiers:
Caprylic/capric glycerol ester was one of the first to be included in my country's hygiene standards. It is a food additive with excellent emulsifying properties for flavoring. It can be used in beverages, ice cream, candy, chocolate, and hydrogenated vegetable oils, with no maximum usage limit. It can be added in appropriate amounts as needed for production. It is FDA-recognized as a GRAS substance. It is readily hydrolyzed and absorbed in the intestines, at a rate four times faster than ordinary oils, and does not accumulate in the liver or body. Due to its low viscosity, oxidation resistance, low freezing point, and good compatibility with various solvents, oils, and vitamins, it also has preservative effects by inhibiting microbial growth in food. Therefore, it is a multifunctional food additive in the food industry. As caprylic/capric glyceride is a medium-chain fatty acid glyceride, it is rapidly absorbed and metabolized in the body as a fat substitute, does not cause obesity, and can be used to regulate lipid metabolism disorders and lower cholesterol. It can also be used as a drug for the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia and fatty liver. Recent foreign studies have found that caprylic/capric glyceride also has a killing effect on cancer cells. It can be used to treat liver cancer without affecting normal cells. Many emulsifiers, in addition to changing the structure, properties, and taste of food, also have antibacterial effects. Examples include sucrose fatty acid esters, xylitol fatty acid esters, and caprylic/capric glyceride.
Preservatives:
Nisin, also known as lactobacillus peptide, is not a natural extract, but it is produced by fermentation of available edible protein raw materials. Composed of 34 amino acids, it is digestible and metabolized by the human body, has no toxicity, and can be considered a natural substance. As early as 1969, it was recommended as a safe food preservative by the World Health Organization and the Food Additives Regulatory Commission of the Food Organization. It has a strong inhibitory effect on Gram-positive bacteria, including harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Micrococcus. When used in dairy and meat products, a dosage of 0.02% to 0.04% yields good antibacterial effects. Furthermore, its use in meat products can lower the sterilization temperature, thereby improving the taste of cooked meat products.
Recent findings indicate that nisin can inhibit sugar fermentation in the oral cavity, thus playing a role in preventing tooth decay when used in food. In addition, recent discoveries show that nisin has a significant inhibitory effect on Helicobacter pylori, and it can replace some antibiotics without developing resistance.
Functional Ingredients In my country, some natural extracts or fermented products are considered natural substances, not additives. They can be consumed directly as food, but unlike ordinary food, they possess special physiological functions and can be added to functional foods or registered as health foods. For example, oligosaccharides, developed after 1996, have the effect of promoting the growth of bifidobacteria. There are dozens of companies nationwide producing isomaltooligosaccharides, fructooligosaccharides, and soybean oligosaccharides, with a total output of approximately 30,000 tons, which are added in large quantities to various functional foods. In addition, in recent years, by introducing foreign experience, two natural functional extracts have been developed: lycopene extracted from tomatoes and soy isoflavones extracted from soybeans. The former has extremely strong functions in scavenging free radicals, anti-oxidation, and anti-aging; the latter has functions such as preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, alleviating menopausal syndrome in women, and promoting calcium absorption. Lycopene and soy isoflavone products have been approved for marketing in my country as health products by the Ministry of Health.
