14 DAY TRIAL // A recent study carried out by scientists at the University of Granada found that an algae extract could be used as a natural food additive in various aliments and beverages. The compound is extracted from the Porphyridium cruentum species of marine algae and "looks like strawberries milkshake", according to the scientists.
The specific algae extract which could be used from now on as a natural food additive in the alimentary industry is a fluorescent protein called ficoerithrin. It confers the Porphyridium cruentum marine micro-algae the reddish color; therefore, it may be used for preserving the red color of many foods and beverages on the supermarkets' shelves. Besides the fact that the algae extract will be better at prolonging the vivid color of alimentary products, it does not have the same harmful effects of chemical food additives.
Food additives are substances added to aliments before they are put on the supermarket shelves and bought by consumers. Food additives can be natural substances or chemically synthesized substances, but they are usually chemicals.
Additives are introduced in foods for various reasons, such as: for storing and preserving foods fresh for a longer period of time, especially foods that alter in a few days; for enriching the nutritive value of foods; for making foods processing and production easier; for enhancing food's taste, flavor, color, aspect etc.
Food alteration is widely prevented by alimentary additives. Some of them slow the action of microorganisms in foods; others delay the alteration of fats and oils in alimentary products. There are also additives that help us preserve wet or dry foods, additives that make foods solider or additives used for frosting and covering alimentary products. Consequently, a great deal of additives is used in the food industry in order to prolong the life of aliments.
Due to the fact that chemicals used as food additives are not very healthy, a tendency towards replacing chemically synthesized substances in alimentary products with natural food preservatives has been registered lately. And it seems that natural food preservatives have started to gain ground over synthetic ones in recent years.
For instance, another study carried out this month found that grape seed and pine bark tree extracts are better at preserving meat than chemical additives. The report was published by scientists at the Ohio State University in the Food Microbiology journal.