koostisainete

Koostisainete is the genitive plural form of the Estonian noun koostisaine, meaning an ingredient or substance used in a product. In practice, the term is used whenever the set of components that make up a dish, a cosmetic, or a chemical formulation is referred to. It is most commonly encountered in cooking, nutrition labeling, and product documentation, where it denotes the individual substances that comprise a final product.

Etymology and usage: koostis means composition and aine means substance. The compound koostisaine literally means composition substance, and koostisainete is its genitive plural, used in phrases such as koostisainete loetelu, the list of ingredients.

In daily life, recipes typically include a koostisainete loetelu, listing ingredients like eggs, milk, and oil. In commerce, labels present the ingredients and allergens; the ordering is usually by weight at the time of formulation, and allergen names are highlighted for easy identification. In pharmaceutical or cosmetic contexts, the term can refer to the constituent substances of a product rather than a food item.

Estonian usage mirrors EU labeling practices: ingredient lists must be complete and comprehensible, reflecting the diverse range of products sold in Estonia. Koostisainete is thus a core term in discussing what a product contains, how it is conveyed to consumers, and how transparency is maintained in labeling and documentation.