Global food markets have strict regulations on food additive usage. Aprofood provides testing services for over 30 types of food additives, helping you conduct compliance analysis for your products, determine shelf life, and monitor daily process control and quality parameters.
Food Additives
Food additives are defined as "substances directly or indirectly added to food to improve quality, extend shelf life, enhance sensory properties, or meet processing requirements." The types, scope of use and dosage of additives are strictly stipulated. Exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI) limits of additives, using unapproved additives, or failing to disclose additive information may pose serious health risks. For example, some artificial colorings may cause adverse reactions such as urticaria or diarrhea, excessive addition of nitrates will increase the risk of gastric cancer in consumers, and excessive intake of certain artificial sweeteners will increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Our additive testing services aim to prevent illegal addition, excessive use, or use of non-compliant food additives to ensure consumer health.
Our Service
Aprofood has a global network of laboratories, enabling us to carry out additive testing quickly, accurately and reliably. We offer customizable testing solutions to help identify and quantify the presence of specific additives in your food, in order to verify whether the addition of additives complies with market regulations. Our services cover a variety of additives, including:
Preservatives Testing
| Category |
Preservatives |
Applicable Sample Type |
| Benzoic acid and its salts |
Benzoic acid sodium, Benzoic acid potassium |
Ice pops, jams, preserves, beverages, fruit wines, condiments, etc. |
| Sorbic acid and its salts |
Sorbic acid potassium, Sorbic acid calcium |
Hydrogenated oil, margarine, pickled vegetables, pastries, seasonings, etc. |
| Dehydroacetic acid and its salts |
Dehydroacetic acid sodium |
Juices, fermented bean curd (natto/tofu), cakes, biscuits, cooked meat products, etc. |
| Propionic acid and its salts |
Propionic acid calcium, Propionic acid sodium |
Cereals/grains, condiments (e.g. vinegar, soy sauce), meat products (e.g. sausages), etc. |
| Parabens |
Methylparaben, Ethylparaben |
Surface-treated fresh fruits, candied fruits, carbonated beverages, seasonings, etc. |
| Nitrites |
Sodium nitrite, Potassium nitrite |
Meat products (e.g. cured meats, canned meats), pickled vegetables, starch-based products, etc. |
Antioxidants Testing
| Category |
Antioxidants |
Applicable Sample Type |
| Synthetic antioxidants |
BHA, BHT, TBHQ |
Deep-fried foods, nuts, edible oils, pet food, etc |
| Natural antioxidants |
Ascorbic acid, Vitamin E, Rosemary extract |
Fruit/vegetable juices, fruit preserves, vitamin supplements, cooking oils, condiments, etc. |
| Polyphenols |
Tea polyphenols, Propyl gallate (PG) |
Tea beverages, dietary supplements, confectionery, red wine, high-temperature processed foods, etc. |
Flavor Testing
| Category |
Flavor & Spices |
Applicable Sample Type |
| Natural flavors |
Plant extracts, essential oils, sandalwood |
Beverages, bakery foods, toothpaste, mint candies, ice cream, etc. |
| Synthetic flavors |
Phenethyl alcohol, vanillin, musk, ethyl maltol |
Beverages, cocktails, ice cream, cheese, cured ham, ready-to-eat meals, etc. |
| Flavor formulations |
Beverages flavorings, bakery flavorings (e.g., caramel type) |
Beverages, pastries, condiments, ice cream, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, etc. |
Colorant Testing
| Category |
Colorants |
Applicable Sample Type |
| Synthetic colorants |
Carmine, Tartrazine, Brilliant Blue, Allura Red |
Beverages, confectionery, baked goods, condiments, ice cream, sausages, etc. |
| Natural colorants |
Chlorophyllin copper complex, Beta-carotene, Gardenia yellow |
Fruit and vegetable juices, confectionery, butter, dietary supplements, tea beverages, etc. |
| Special colorants |
Titanium dioxide, Caramel color |
Confectionery (chewing gum, chocolate), soy sauce, beer, carbonated beverages, etc. |
Aprofood offers comprehensive solutions for companies and professionals in the food industry. Whether you need to conduct food additive screening or other testing projects, please feel free to contact us to obtain the testing plan and quotation. We are always ready to serve you.
For Research Use Only.
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