Did "old-fashioned popsicles" from your childhood contain additives?
After eating ice cream all summer, many people have never carefully looked at the ingredients list. Fan Zhihong, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, explains that the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China stipulates that all additives used in food must be fully disclosed on the outer packaging. So next time you eat ice cream, remember to check the packaging, as you might see the names of more than a dozen food additives.
Fan Zhihong gave an example, stating that a certain ice cream product's packaging lists the following ingredients: phospholipids, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, maltose, whole milk powder, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, lactic acid, sodium lactate, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, xanthan gum, glyceryl monostearate, guar gum, carrageenan, citric acid, sodium citrate, edible flavorings (yogurt and blueberry flavorings), sodium saccharin, amaranth, and brilliant blue. This long list of additives is truly dazzling.
In fact, these additives can be broadly divided into four categories: flavoring, coloring, shaping, and emulsifying. They are all essential components for the texture of ice cream. In the ice cream mentioned above, the coloring is mainly provided by two synthetic pigments: amaranth and brilliant blue. The flavorings include sweeteners, acidulants, and flavorings. The sweetener is sodium saccharin; the acidulants include lactic acid, sodium lactate, citric acid, and sodium citrate; the flavorings include yogurt and blueberry flavorings, which are all composite flavorings, likely consisting of dozens of compounds to simulate a realistic aroma. There are also thickeners responsible for shaping, including sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, xanthan gum, guar gum, and carrageenan. When people see an ingredient named "某某胶" (so-and-so gum), they know it's a thickener. Then there are emulsifiers responsible for emulsification, including phospholipids, glyceryl monostearate, and polyglycerol polyricinoleate, which make the ice cream's texture uniform, stable, and smooth. When you see an ingredient named "某某酯" (so-and-so ester), it is very likely an emulsifier.
In terms of safety, thickeners, emulsifiers, and acidulants are quite safe, as they are mostly normal components found in natural foods. Flavorings and colorings, on the other hand, are mostly chemically synthesized products. Therefore, it's best to avoid ice creams that are overly colorful or have an unnaturally strong aroma. Some people say, "The 'old-fashioned popsicles' we ate as children were better, without any additives." In fact, although there were fewer types of additives back then, the quantities were less controlled. It was "standard practice" to add saccharin, colorings, and flavorings. I remember often finding that popsicles had a bitter taste in some spots, which was caused by uneven mixing of the saccharin.