9781422280430

Chapter 1 Types of Additives

W ords to U nderstand emulsifiers: chemicals that allow mixtures to blend. extract: concentrated component of food. impervious: resistant to allowing fluid to pass through.

rancid: awful smelling. synthetic: human-made.

I n 1976, a chemistry teacher named Roger Bennatti conducted a science experiment. He gave his students at George Stevens Academy in the coastal Maine town of Blue Hills a handful of money and sent them to the store to buy a package of Twinkies. When the pupils returned, Bennatti ate one of the golden cream-filled cakes and put the other (Twinkies come in packages of two) on the top of the blackboard. Bennatti then instructed his students to observe what changes occurred to the treat over time. Twinkies had a reputation as a seemingly indestructible food overloaded with additives and preservatives. Although made mostly of flour and sugar, the Twinkie contained about 36 ingredients, including polysorbate 60, one in a class of substances used in cosmetics.

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