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Good news! Our favorite instant noodles, Lucky Me!, just got better. Aside from being fortified with essential micronutrients, Lucky Me! now has No Artificial Preservatives Added (NAPA).
Lucky Me! noodles use only natural preservatives in the form of mixed tocopherols. Natural mixed tocopherols help keep it fresh, and may be sourced from nuts, cereals, soybeans, grape seeds, among others. They are the most internationally accepted natural preservative for instant noodles.
The Truth about Preservatives
Manufacturers add preservatives during processing to keep food fresh, prevent fats and oils, and food containing them from developing an off-flavor. Preservatives improve food safety, slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi, or yeast, and help control contamination that can cause food-borne illness including life-threatening botulism.
Specifically, they help by:
- Ensuring food safety
- Extending a product's shelf life
- Improving or maintaining a food's nutritional value
- Improving food texture or consistency
- Assisting in food processing
Natural and Artificial... What's the diff?
There are 2 types of preservatives - natural and artificial. The main difference between the two is that the previous is found in and made by nature, while the latter is synthetically derived or man-made.
There are many natural preservatives, such as salt, vinegar, sugar, which have been used to preserve meat and vegetables. Artificial preservatives such as sulfites help prevent color changes in fruits and vegetables and inhibit bacterial growth in wine, fermented foods, some snack foods and baked goods. Sulfites also have antioxidant properties.
Other examples of natural and artificial preservatives:
Acetates
Celery juice
Citrates
Citric Acid
Mixed Tocopherols
Ascorbic Acid
Malic Acid
Benzoates
BHA/BHT
EDTA
Nitrates/Nitrites
Proprionates
Propyl Gallate
Sorbates
Sulfites
TBHQ
Are Preservatives Bad?
Preservatives are not bad for your health. In many people's minds, all additives are harmful chemicals, but actually they are not. Preservatives are classified by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) ingredient, and have been used for centuries to help make the food we eat as safe as possible.
What other foods have preservatives?
Except for the food grown in your own garden, practically all food products have preservatives, or have undergone a preservation process to keep it fresh longer. Almost every manufacturer adds preservatives to food during processing, in order to prolong a product's freshness.
Common foods that use artificial preservatives are dried fruits, wine, juice, cured meats, bread, cakes, and cheese, among others.
Natural preservatives are also starting to be used in a wide variety of healthy foods. One example of a healthy food using natural preservatives is yoghurt.
Check out these sources for more details!
European Food Information Council
Food Product Design - www.foodproductdesign.com
NOVA Science - www.science.org.au/nova/030/030box02.htm