substances added to many foods to prevent spoilage or improve appearance, texture, flavor or nutritional value; they may be synthetic materials copied from nature (for example, sugar substitutes) or naturally occurring substances (for example, lecithin). Some food additives may cause allergic reactions in sensitive people.

LABENSKY, SARAH R.; HAUSE, ALAN M.; LABENSKY, STEVEN R.; MARTEL, PRICILLA, ON COOKING: A TEXTBOOK OF CULINARY FUNDAMENTALS, 4th Edition, ©2007. Electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.