Additive

Name:
Additive
Detailed information:
A nonspecific term applied to any substance added to a base material in low concentrations for a definite purpose. Additives can be divided into two groups: (1) those which have an auxiliary or secondary function (antioxidants, inhibitors, thickeners, plasticizers, flavoring agents, colorants, etc.); and (2) those that are essential to the existence of the end product (leavening agents in bread, curatives in rubber, blowing agents in cellular plastics, emulsifiers in mayonnaise, polymerization initiators in plastics, and tanning agents in leather). It seems logical that the latter group should be regarded less as additives than as base materials, since the end products could not exist without them. In any case, a specific functional name is preferable to the neutral term additive.See Food Additive.