How to Correctly Use Processing Aids for Food Industry in China?

Regulated as one kind of food additives in China, processing aids play a critical part in food production and food safety. Notwithstanding, a lot of perplexities revolving processing aids and food additives still exist, and thereby ChemLinked extracts key takeaways on the use of processing aids for food industry under the Chinese regulatory framework.

1. Definition & classification 

• Definition: as per GB 2760-2014 Standard for Uses of Food Additives, processing aids for food industry refers to a variety of substances which can ensure the smooth processing of food, such as filter aid, clarificant, sorbent, releasing agent, decolorant, decrustation, and extraction solvent, fermented nutrients, etc.

  Examples: bentonite (a clarificant) for beer processing; carnauba wax (a releasing agent) for baked food processing; lauric acid (a peeling agent) for peeling fruits and vegetables, etc.

• Classification: GB 2760-2014 divides processing aids into three categories on the basis of different use restrictions: (1) processing aids that can be widely used in the processing of all kinds of foods with no residue limits, such as nitrogen, citric acid and ethanol; (2) processing aids that are subject to specified functions and use scopes, for example, Arabic gum can only be used for wine processing as a clarificant; (3) enzyme preparations allowed to be used for food processing, such as Alpha-amylase, Xylanase and Lipase.

2. Food additives & processing aids 

• How to distinguish food additives and processing aids

  The common food additives mainly play a functional role in food, while the processing aids mainly play a technical role in food production and processing, and do not play a functional role in the final food.

• Can processing aids be used for food additives production and processing?

  According to an official reply from National Health Commission (NHC), processing aids can be mixed with other food additives by physical methods to produce blended food additives, but the use of processing additives shall comply with their use principles, and the produced blended food additives shall comply with the provisions stated in GB 26687-2011 General Standard for Blended Food Additives.

• What are permitted food additives & processing aids in China?

  In China, the permitted food additives and processing aids can be found in GB 2760-2014 and GB 14880-2012, as well as individual notifications issued by NHC. You can find the latest available food additives and processing aids with corresponding use restrictions in China Food Additives Database.

• How to apply for new food additives & processing aids

  Since processing aids are regulated as food additives, for stakeholders who want to use new variety or expand the application scope/usage amount of food additive, they shall apply for the approval of new food additives from NHC as per Provisions on Application and Acceptance of New Varieties of Food Additives.

3. Use principles 

• Technique necessity

  As per GB 2760-2014, processing aids should be used in the course of food production and processing, which should only be used when necessary. The usage amount should be reduced as much as possible on condition of achieving the expected purposes.

• Residual amount control

  Processing aids should be removed before the product is finished. If they cannot be removed completely, the residual amount should be reduced as much as possible, to ensure that the residual amount will not harm people’s health, and would not play functional roles in the final food.

• Quality specification

  Processing aids shall comply with corresponding quality specifications.  

4. Labeling requirements 

As per GB 7718-2011 General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, it's no need to indicate processing aids in the list of ingredients.

As for enzyme preparations, one kind of processing aids, Q&A of GB 7718-2011 stated that enzyme preparations need not to be declared if their enzyme activities have lost in the final product; if their enzyme activities are still kept in the final product, it shall be indicated in the ingredient list following the order of addition amount, i.e., the quantity of enzyme preparations added during the course of food production or processing according to relevant provisions.