- Alginate: This thickening agent is derivative of seaweed
- Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E): This antioxidant and nutrient prevents oils from going rancid
- Arabic: This gum is used to stabilize beer foam
- Artificial Flavorings: These are used almost exclusively in junk foods, indicating that the real thing (usually fruit) has been left out
- Beta Carotene: This additive is converted by the body to vitamin A
- Blue No. 2: This artificial coloring is used in pet food, beverages, and candy
- Brominated Vegetable Oil: This gives the cloudy apperance to citrus-flavored soft drinks
- Brominated Vegetable Oil: Residues of this found in the body are cause for alarm
- Caffeine: This stimulant is known to cause birth defects in pregnant women.
- Calcium or Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate: This is added to bread dough to lead to more uniform grain and greater volume
- Carrageenan: This thickening agent is derived from Irish Moss
- Casein: This is the principal protein in milk
- Chelating Agents: These trap trace amounts of metal atoms that would otherwise cause discoloration or rancidity
- Citrus Red No. 2: This coloring is used on the surface of some florida oranges
- Cobalt Sulfate: This beer foam stabilizer was outlawed in 1966
- Cyclamate: This artificial sweetener was outlawed in 1970
- Dextrose: This is an important sugar present in every living organism
- Dextrose: This turns brown when heated
- Dulcin: This artificial sweetener was outlawed in 1950
- Emulsifiers: These keep oil and water mixed together
- Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid: This traps metal imputrities in modern food manufacturing that would otherwise promote rancidity
- Ferrous Gluconate: This coloring is used by the olive industry to generate a uniform jet-black color
- Flavor Enhancers: These have little or no flavor on their own, but they enhance the flavors of other foods
- Fumaric Acid: This is a solid acid that is an ideal source of tartness in dry food
- Gelatin: This thickening agent is obtained from animal bones, hooves, and other parts
- Glycerin: This is the backbone of fat and oil
- Glycerin: The body uses this as a source of energy or as a starting point for more complex molecules
- Green No. 1: This coloring was outlawed in 1966
- Gums: These are used to thicken foods, prevent sugar crystals, etc
- Hydrolized Vegetable Protein: This is a flavor enhancer that has been broken down into amino acids
- Invert Sugar: This is a 50-50 mixture of sugars dextrose and fructose
- Lactic Acid: This prevents spoilage in spanish-type olives
- Lecithin: This reduces spattering in a frying pan and produces fluffy cakes
- Mannitol: This is used as the dust in chewing gum
- Mannitol: This is not quite as sweet as sugar and is poorly absorbed by the body
- Mono- and Diglycerides: These make bread softer and prevent staling
- Mono- and diglycerides: This improves the stability of margine, makes caramel less sticky, and prevents oil from separating in peanut butter
- Monosodium Glutamate: This causes "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome"
- Monosodium Glutamate: Public pressure forced baby food companies to remove this from their products
- Orange B: This is used to color the outside of hot dogs
- Phosphates: The widespread use of these has led to a dietary imbalance that leads to osteoporosis
- Polysorbates: These keeps dill oil dissolved in bottled dill pickles
- Propyl Gallate: This retards spoilage in fats and oils. Used with BHA and BHT because of the synergistic effect they have in retarding rancidity
- Propylene Glycol Alginate: This thickens acidic foods such as soda pop and salad dressing and stabilizes the foam in beer
- Quinine: This drug can cure malaria
- Red No. 40: This is the most widely used coloring
- Saccharin: This sweetner is 350 times the sweetness of sugar
- Safrole: This root beer flavoring was outlawed in 1960
- Sodium Benzoate: This has been used for over 70 years to prevent microorganism growth
- Sodium Bisulfate: This powder prevents discoloration in dried fruits
- Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose: This is made by reacting cellulose with a derivative of acetic acid
- Sodium Chloride: A diet high in this can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke
- Sodium Nitrate: This is used in dry cured meat because it breaks down slowly into nitrite
- Sodium Nitrite and artificial coloring: These two additives should generally be avoided
- Sodium Propionate: This is used to prevent mold growth on pies and cakes and does not interfere with the leavening process
- Sorbic Acid: This occurs naturally in the berries of mountain ash
- Sorbitan Monostearate: This prevents discoloration in chocolate candy when it is heated and cooled
- Sorbitol: This is used in non-cariogenic chewing gum because oral bacteria do not metabolize it well
- Starch: This is the major component of flour, potatoes, and corn
- Sulfur Dioxide: This gas is used to prevent discoloration in dried fruit
- Thickening Agents: These are used to stabilize factory-made foods by keeping the complex mixtures of oils, water, acids, and solids well-mixed
- Violet No. 1: This coloring was outlawed in 1973
- Yellow No. 5: This is the second most commonly used coloring