Food additives are chemically synthesized or natural substances intentionally added to food to improve its quality, color, aroma and taste, as well as for preservation and processing needs. They are mainly divided into the following categories:

Preservatives: used to prevent food spoilage and prolong shelf life, such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate.

Antioxidants: to prevent or delay the oxidation of fats and oils, and to improve the stability of food, such as vitamin C, isotretinoin.

Colorants: improve the appearance of food, such as carmine, lemon yellow.

Bulking agent: make food soft or crispy, such as sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate.

Sweeteners: increase the sweetness of food, including natural (e.g. xylitol), artificial (e.g. aspartame) and transformed sweeteners (e.g. sorbitol).

Flavor enhancers: enhance the flavor of food, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium 5′-presentation nucleotide.

Emulsifiers and stabilizers: to maintain the stability of food structure, such as glycerol monostearate, sodium alginate.

Nutritional additives: increase food nutrition, such as various vitamins.

Flavorings: add food aroma, including natural and synthetic flavorings.

Acidulants and acidity regulators: to adjust the acidity of food, such as citric acid, malic acid.

Thickening agent: increase the viscosity of food, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, deer antler gum.

Bulking agent: cause foaming in food processing, such as compound bulking agent.

These additives are widely used in the food industry to enhance the quality, safety, convenience and nutritional value of food. The country has strict standards and regulations on the use of food additives, such as the National Standard for Food Safety - Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB2760-2014), which stipulates the varieties of additives, the scope of use and the maximum amount of additives to be used to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Food manufacturers must follow these standards and use food additives reasonably to protect the health of consumers.