Additiver

Additiver is the term used in several Scandinavian languages (notably Danish and Norwegian) to refer to additives — substances deliberately added to products to modify their properties or performance. The scope covers chemical compounds and formulated blends used in foods, fuels, medicines, cosmetics, and industrial materials.

In foods, additives are used to preserve freshness, improve texture, stabilize suspension, or enhance color and flavor. Common categories include preservatives, antioxidants, colorants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, sweeteners, and flavor enhancers. Many additives carry standardized codes; in the European Union they are labeled with E-numbers.

Safety and regulation: Additives undergo evaluation by authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Assessments consider toxicology, exposure, and cumulative effects. Approval leads to permitted uses and specified maximum levels, and labeling requirements inform consumers.

Other contexts: Outside food, additiver are also used in fuels to improve combustion or prevent corrosion, in polymers as stabilizers or plasticizers, in cosmetics to preserve products, and in medicines as inert excipients that help deliver doses or stabilize formulations.

History and debates: The modern use of additives expanded with industrial food processing and synthetic chemistry. Some additives have sparked health or environmental concerns, prompting ongoing research and regulatory reviews to adjust permissible uses and consumer labeling.