| MadSci Network: Chemistry |
Both of these additives are to add nutrients to the food you eat. Ferrous sulfate is an iron supplement. Calcium cloride is a type of calcium like you would find in milk. These two food additives also play a functional role for making cheese. They help the milk to form a firm gel which makes it easier out of the jar, so your Cheez-It will spread and not run about like liquid milk. When we make cheese, we use some of the natural ingredients in the milk to form a gel to make the cheese. In the case of Cheeze-It they use by-products of cheese processing, such as whey, and add the calcium and iron to allow it to act and look like naturally make cheese.
The additives that the food industry adds to food are tested and approved for safety by the FDA before the products can be sold to the public. Many are ingredients that you would find in natural foods, only they are specifically added. But when the industry takes out an ingredient that makes the cheese a better product the industry must write all the things that were added back to the product, even if those things are ones as natural as calcium in milk.
Food Science is very exciting and a great field to study. If you would like information on becoming a food scientist let me know. There are many jobs in the food industry.
Jean Weese, Ph.D.
Auburn Univeristy, AL 36849
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Chemistry.