The industrial use of food additives is growing rapidly worldwide. These additives include stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents. These substances help to improve texture and protect against food modification. The result is food products with improved sensory quality, acceptable to consumers and with increased profits for companies. However, the use of these substances must comply with standards to guarantee food safety. These standards are regularly revised to take account of any new safety data. This implies the need to obtain information on the presence and level of use of these additives in foodstuffs sold in distribution chains. This study therefore set out to identify the profile and frequency of stabilizers, gelling agents and thickeners in various food categories sold on Dakar markets. The methodology adopted is based on a collection of labels from food samples sold in various trading venues. Food additives as well as the functions indicated on the labels are listed, recorded and classified based on Codex Alimentarius standards. The results of this study showed the predominance of stabilizers (59%), made up largely of plant hydrocolloids, particularly guar gum and cellulose gum. Of the 4 substances used as thickeners, most were xanthan gum and acetylated diamidon adipate. As for additives indicated as gelling agents, the presence of pectin and gelatin was noted. Generally speaking, most of the additives encountered are of natural origin and can be extracted from local plant resources.
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Kane, A. , Diallo, Y. , Tamba, A. , Diakhaté, P. A. , Sagna, C. G. , Mbodji, H. , Mbengue, M. and Cissé, M. (2024). Frequency and Diversity of Stabilizers, Thickeners and Gelling Agents Used as Food Additives in Food Products Sold on Dakar Markets. Open Access Library Journal, 11, e1147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1111147.
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