Preface

This book is an introduction to the use of natural food additives.

Nowadays, the use of additives in the food industry has become a regular practice due to their ability to improve the organoleptic properties or extend the shelf life of food products. However, some additives, known to be potentially hazardous if consumed in excess, have driven an increasing consumer trend to avoid this type of product. One possible effect of these molecules is potential allergic reactions or health risks associated with frequent consumption. This phenomenon collides with a growing interest in developing a green and sustainable economy and the emergence of natural additives with equal or greater benefits than synthetic ones. Many of these compounds are already approved and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) flavoring food additives by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In parallel, the effectiveness and new potential applications of additives and their addition to novel food matrices are the focus of study by many research groups. This book discusses natural food additives, emerging compounds used as food additives and active packaging, molecular gastronomy, and enzyme production in the food industry.

Chapter 1 discusses the implications of replacing synthetic food antioxidant additives with natural ones in food systems, whereas Chapter 2 offers a summary of the types of green extraction techniques to obtain natural food additives production. After this brief introduction, Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 present theoretical information about some of the emerging natural additives used in the food industry, namely, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and natural emulsifiers. They summarize their main chemical structures, functions, extraction and production methods, and applications in food systems. The final section, which includes Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, offers different approaches to the applications of food additives in different food products including fish, cheese, and vegetables, among others.

We would like to thank our IntechOpen Commissioning Editor, Iva Simcic, and Author Service Manager, Romina Rovan for all the help and support during the publishing process. We especially appreciate and thank all authors that have contributed to the book, with a special mention to Prof. Dr. Lillian Barros and Prof. Dr. Filomena Barreiro from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), Portugal. We would like to thank all the authors, colleagues, and reviewers that participated in the review process of the book.

## **Miguel A. Prieto, Paz Otero and María Carpena Rodriguez** Faculty of Science, Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Science, Universidade de Vigo, Nutrition and Bromatology Group, Ourense, Spain

Section 1
