What are E-numbers?
E numbers have been increasingly discussed in the media in recent years. You may have heard of them, and perhaps even try to avoid them in your diet. But is that really necessary? What are E numbers, and what are they good or bad for? We'll explain it all in this blog post.
What are E-numbers?
E numbers are additives added to foods. They improve or maintain certain properties of these foods, such as appearance, quality, and shelf life. E numbers can be artificial or natural in origin. A tomato, for example, contains around 10 to 15 E numbers, including vitamin C (E330) and lactic acid (E270). Other examples of natural E numbers are oxygen (E948) and glutamine (E620), a substance naturally occurring in your muscles.
Most well-known E numbers:
- E951 Aspartame (sweetener)
- E621 Monosodium glutamate (flavor enhancer)
- E220-E228 Sulphite (natural preservative)
- E965 Maltitol (synthetic sweetener)
- E120 Carmine/cochineal (red dye)
- E960 Stevia/Steviol glycosides (natural sweetener)
Are E numbers bad for you?
E numbers are thoroughly researched before they are approved . To check whether E numbers can be used safely , they are assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The law even stipulates in which products an E number may be used and the maximum amount that may be added to that product. During testing, careful attention is paid to the potential harmfulness of E numbers. A limit has been established for each E number at which it almost does not cause side effects. This value is divided by 100 to ensure that you will never ingest this maximum amount. The resulting value is known as the acceptable daily intake ( ADI ). In other words, the ADI is the maximum amount of a substance you can consume daily without negatively impacting your health. No more than the ADI of an E number is ever added to products.
There are many stories circulating warning people about E numbers. These stories claim that E numbers are harmful to your health. As a result, more and more people prefer to avoid products containing E numbers. However, these stories are often based on inaccurate research and incorrect conclusions.
Exceptions
As explained above, E numbers are completely safe and cannot be harmful to our health. However, there are two exceptions to this rule. One of these exceptions is people with the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria ( PKU ). People with this disorder cannot properly break down aspartame (E951). This substance can therefore accumulate in the body, which can then cause harmful effects in the brain.
People with (chronic) sulfite intolerance are also an exception and should therefore avoid certain E-numbers. High doses of sulfites (E220 through E228 on the E-number list) can cause symptoms such as heart palpitations, skin rashes, or fluid retention. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre , this condition primarily occurs in people with asthma, and only 4% of them are actually at risk .
So you don't have to worry about consuming E-numbers if you don't belong to one of these groups.
E numbers in coffee
Even coffee can contain E numbers. Some products use glazing agents. Glazing agents are an E number category. These glazing agents can form a shiny or opaque layer on certain products, such as fruit peels, chocolate, or coffee beans . Coffee creamers often contain Annatto (E160b), a substance also found in certain butters and cheeses.
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