A Guide to Food Additives - G
| Name | Other Names | Purpose | Sourced |
|
Galangal |
Several tropical rhizomatous spices |
Used in traditional Asian cuisines, Polish Gorzka vodka, similar in flavor to ginger |
Various group of plants found in China and South East Asia |
|
Gallic acid |
Trihydroxybenzoic acid |
Anti-oxidant used in tea formulation |
Produced by breakdown of tannins, found in several fruits & vegetables, chocolate, walnuts, hops, apples, teas & flax |
|
Gamma-tocopherol |
E308, Vitamin E |
Anti-oxidant in fatty acid and prevent rancidity, low vitamin E accessibility, reduce rancidity in oils(eg. olive oil), vitamin E fortification |
Extracted from vegetable oils such as soybean oil |
|
Garam masala |
Combination of spices such as fennel, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, cumin & coriander |
Used to add spiciness to Indian cuisine |
Various spices |
|
Garlic |
gar(spear shaped)-leek |
Pungent plant used as a seasoning herb, condiment or spice in food recipes all over the globe, garlic oil |
Native plant Allium sativum to central Asia and Iran |
|
Gelatin |
Gelatine("stiff" or "frozen") |
Used to make gels, jelly, desserts, trifles, aspic, marshmellows, candy corn, confections, gummy bears, as a thickener in yogurt, cream cheese & margarine, low fat foods, dumplings, soups, calarifying juices, fining agent for wine & beer |
Derived from collagen of animals |
|
Gellan gum |
E418, gum gellan |
Water soluble polysaccharide vegan thickener, emulsifier & stabilizer used to make plant-based milk, vegan gummies, gelling agent, molecular gastronomy, ice-cream and sorbet, alternative to gelatin |
Bacterial fermentation in a lily plant tissue |
|
Ginger |
Ginger root, ginger rhizome |
Peeled and used for spicing meals, candy, soda, pickles, alcoholic drinks, fragrant, snacks, ginger wine, candy, ethnic cuisines, powdered for flavoring, bread, cookies, ale, beer and crackers |
Plant originating from southern India, now produced in Nigeria, China, Indonesia, Nepal & Thialand |
|
Ginseng |
"human root" |
Used in energy drinks, herbal teas, ethnic dishes & soups, alcoholic beverages and liquor US FDA states ginseng "products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for referenced uses" |
Plant grown globally |
|
Glacial Acetic acid |
Pure(100%) acetic acid |
Rarely used, in acidification and flavoring canned fruits, vegetables sausages and salad dressings
|
Produced by bacteria found in water, soil, fruits, and food spoil |
|
Glucitol |
E420, Sorbitol |
Sugar substitute, low calorie, 60% as sweet as sugar, used in drinks, ice-creams, mints, cough syrups, chewing gums, fermented by bacteria in mouth |
Found in stone fruits and berries of genus Sorbus |
|
Gluconate |
E574, Gluconic acid, D-gluconic acid, Dextronic acid |
Metal sequestrant used in fruit juices and jelly mixes |
Synthesized, Found in fruit honey and wine |
|
Glucono delta-lactone |
E575, GDL |
Acidifier, pickling, curing & leavening agent, white crystalline powder, used in feta cheese, adding tangy to foods, adding to water produces gluconic acid |
Synthesized by bacterial fermentation of sugar |
|
Glucose oxidase |
E1102, Notatin, GOD, GOx |
Preservative and oxidizing agent, creating stronger dough, reducing oxygen in food packaging, preventing browning of eggs |
Produced by certain fungi and insects |
|
Glucose syrup |
Confectioner's glucose |
Thickener, sweetener & moisture retaining agent used in candies, soft drinks and fruit drinks |
Hydrolyzing starch extracted from maize |
|
Glutamate |
E620, Glutamic acid |
Flavor enhancer tasteable in unbound form used in cheeses, soy sauce, sodium salt known as monosodium glutamate(MSG) |
Found in meats, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat protein |
|
Gluten |
"Glue" |
Group of proteins adds elasticity and chewyness to breads, pizza, bagels, high in bread flowers, lower in pastry products, used in imitation meats for protein fortificaion, making soy sauce & beer, stabilizer in ice-cream and ketchup, |
Occurs in endosperm of cereal grains |
|
Glycerin |
E422, Glycerol, glycerine, propanetriol |
Colorless, odorless & sweet liquid used as solvent, humectant and sweetener in foods, thicken liqueurs, softening icing and drinks |
Extracted from plants, soybeans & palm, and animals, tallow |
|
Glycerol ester of wood rosin |
E445, ester gum, glyceryl abietate |
Oil soluble, water-insoluble yellow solid used in producing chewing-gum, oil infused beverages and ice-cream to suspend oil in water |
Synthesized from esterification of wood rosin and glycerin |
|
Glyceryl monostearate |
GM,Monostearin |
White, odorless and sweet flaky powder emulsifier, thickener and preservative in foods such as ice-cream, bread and whipped cream |
Synthesized by reacting triglycerides(animal or vegetable fat) and glycerol |
|
Glycine |
E640, Gly |
Used as a nutrient for yeast in bread to enhance bread, sweet flavoring agent |
Produced using gelatin extracted from animal bones |
|
Gold |
E175 |
Gold leaf or dust used in gourmet foods, sweets, cocktails and drinks as decoration, |
Found embedded in various rock formations |
|
Grains of paradise |
Aframomum melegueta, alligator pepper, Guinea grains, fom wisa |
Spice used in west & north Africa, black pepper substitute, gourmet cuisines, craft beer, gins, condiment, sews, apple pies and liquors |
Part of ginger family Zingiberaceae |
|
Grape seed oil |
grapeseed oil, grape oil |
421F smoke point, used in salad dressing, mayonnaise, garlic oil infusion, spiced oils, baked foods, pancakes and waffles |
Pressed from grape seeds, by-product of winemaking |
|
Green S |
E142, Food Green S |
Coloring desserts, mints, gravy granules, confection, ice-cream and green canned vegetables Banned in USA, Canada, Japan, Canada & Norway, approved in EU, New Zealand & Australia. |
Synthetic green dye |
|
Green Tea |
Leaves used to make tea, beverages and select products as flavoring agent |
Obtained from Camellia sinensis leaves |
|
|
Guanylic acid |
E626, Guanosine monophosphate, GMP |
Used as a flavor enhancer in in noodles, potato chips, snacks, rice, tinned vegetables, cured meats, soup mixes |
Part of RNA, made from yeast extract or sardines |
|
Guar gum |
E412, Guaran |
Increases dough yield and thickness in baked goods, thickening milk, yogurt, ice-cream, sherbets, plant milks and liquid cheeses, binding meats, stability of condiments, thickening canned & dried soups |
Exracted from guar beans grown in India, Pakistan, USA, Australia & Africa |
|
Guaranine |
Caffeine, methyltheobromine |
Stimulant, cognitive & physical performance booster |
Extracted from coffee beans from coffee fruit |
|
Gum arabic |
E414, Gum acacia, acacia gum, gum sudani, Indian gum |
Stabilizer, emulsifier & thickening agent in candy, icings, chewing gum, soft drinks, syrups, cocktails, fermented in colon as a prebiotic |
Extracted from Acacia senegal cultivated and found in Arabia, parts of Africa and West Asia |
|
Gum guaicum |
E241, E314, guaiac resin |
Used as an antioxidant and preservative in several products |
Resin produced from tree Guaiacum officinal |
