Food Additives & What They Do

Have you read the ingredients list for your favorite treat and wondered about some of the chemicals? I'm pretty positive it's the caramel color that makes cola so tasty, plus the caffeine. Here's an e-mail I received about a food additive:

"I do have a question regarding the compound potassium diphosphate. I was drinking Bolthouse Farms' "perfectly protein, mocha cappuccino" and noticed that it was listed as an ingredient. I googled it, but couldn't find information about its uses, etc. I even searched for it on your page, and nothing came up. Would you kindly tell me what its doing in the mocha drink? How safe/unsafe is it?"

I'll include food additive information on this site, but until then, here's a great food additives identifier table that I found at Nutridata. However, if you look at that table, you won't find potassium diphosphate, even though you possibly eat or drink it every day. That's because it's more commonly known as potassium pyrophosphate (K₄P₂O₇). If it's in your cuppa cappa, it probably helps make it nice and frothy. Phosphates are also used to neutralize the acidity of products, give them a pleasant texture, and inhibit microbial growth. Potassium disphosphate a common additive, generally regarded as safe (here's an MSDS).

BHA & BHT | Material Safety Data Sheets