Sugar, cocoa butter, dried skimmed milk, cocoa paste, butyric acid, dried whey, hazelnut paste, emulsifiers (soya lecithin, E 476), lactose, essences.

Each food reveals many information about its content. The additives, though, are usually expressed through codes.
This is how you read it. Additives are expressed on the label either with their scientific name (e. g. citric acid), or with a mark composed by the letter E (Europe) followed by three numbers.
 

• DYES (from E 100 to E 199) are occasionally under accuse: years ago it was the turn of amaranth E 123, then of red E 127, used for chewing gums, ice creams, sweeties and drinks. It was withdrawn from the market in the States, as suspected to provoke (in cases of massive assumption) thyroid tumours, in rats, and allergies. In Europe it is saleable, since it is reputed absolutely safe" in normal quantities. It recently was tartrazine's turn (E 102), a yellow dye used in drinks, canned fruit, purée, canned soups, sweeties. In Australia it is banned, because of possible side effects as asthma, nettle-rash, insomnia and children's irritability.

• PRESERVATIVES (from E 200 to E 299) prolong the preservation period of the product, preventing the spread of micro-organisms (bacteria, moulds, fungi). Nitrites (E 249, E 250) and nitrates (E 251, E 252) are used for meat. A controlled use is suggested: some of the by-products, like nitrosamines, showed some cancer effects in animals.
  Sorbates (E 201, 202, 203) are used for fat food, benzoate (E 211, E 219) for alcohol-free drinks, sulphur dioxide (E 220) and sulphites (from 221 to 228) for wine, dry fruit, marmalades, fruit juice, peeled potatoes, pickles in general. Sulphur dioxide, in particular, hinders the vitamin B1 absorption, possibly causing headaches. Asthma can be worsened by sulphites. Other preservatives are the phenyls (E 230, 231, 232), used to treat citrus fruits and banana peels, suspected to provoke nausea.

• ANTIOXIDANTS (From E 300 to 350) prevent vegetables and fruit from oxidisation. The one used most is th ascorbic acid and its salts (E 300, 301, 302), which can foster kidney calculus after high assumptions. They are used for drinks, raw pork, dried mushrooms, vegetables to pickle, raw peeled potatoes. Other antioxidants are citric (from E 330 to 332), lactic (E 325), tartaric (from 334 to 337) acid.

• EMULSIFIERS contribute to bind fats and water in order to confer smoothness and creaminess to ice creams, mayonnaise, sweeties and cakes in general. They come from either animal rests or low quality oils (coconut, palm trees, E 471, 472) or from soya-beans (lecithin, E 322).

• THICKENERS AND GEL SOLUTIONS amalgamate and give substance to ice creams, gummy sweets, puddings, desserts in general, fresh cheese. The most frequently used have a natural origin, and never showed any contra-indication: agar agar (E 406), extracted from seaweed, Arabic gum (E414), carob seeds flour (E410), pectin (E 440) contained by fruit.

• STABILIZERS keep constant the product matter, holding water while preventing it to nurture the development of micro-organisms. They are polyphosphates, phosphates and fusion salts (E 450), used for cooked ham, cheese, puddings, meat scrambles. Polyphosphates, when consumed irregularly, increase osteoporosis and kidney calculus.

• SAPIDITY EXTOLLERS increase savoury taste and fragrance of meat purées, vegetable stocks, sauces, flaked purées; the better known is monosodium glutamate (E621), typical of eastern cuisine, which can, in big amounts, unleash the "Chinese restaurant syndrome": people who are allergic can feel warm sensations arousing on the face, ticklish shoulders and chest-ache.

Top