Food Additives on Ingredient Labels: Xanthan, Lecithin and Sorbate

The words you read on ingredient labels, and what they do. Preservatives stop food from spoiling: sorbate and benzoate fight mold and yeast, nitrite keeps cured meats pink and safe, sulfite protects wine and dried fruit, and ascorbate, a form of vitamin C, stops browning. Lecithin, often from soy or eggs, keeps chocolate smooth, and xanthan gum and carrageenan thicken sauces and ice cream.

Citrate, lactate, phosphate and tartrate are salts used to control acidity and texture. No word in the grid is diagonal.

Food Additives Vocabulary: 12 Words to Find

Words run across, up and down; 6 of the 12 read backwards. The longest word is Carrageenan, with 11 letters.

Ascorbate: A salt of ascorbic acid, vitamin C, used to stop food from browning.
Benzoate: Sodium benzoate, a preservative that stops mold and yeast in acidic foods like soft drinks.
Carrageenan: A thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used in dairy desserts and ice cream.
Citrate: A salt of citric acid, used to control sourness and stop browning.
Lactate: A salt of lactic acid, used to control acidity and help keep meat fresh.
Lecithin: A natural emulsifier from soybeans or egg yolks that keeps chocolate and dressings smooth.
Nitrite: A preservative that keeps cured meats like ham and bacon pink and safe from bacteria.
Phosphate: A mineral salt used in foods to control acidity, help baking powder rise and keep meat moist.
Sorbate: Potassium sorbate, a preservative that stops mold and yeast in cheese, wine and baked goods.
Sulfite: A preservative used in wine and dried fruit to stop browning and spoilage.
Tartrate: A salt of tartaric acid from grapes; cream of tartar is one, used in baking.
Xanthan: Xanthan gum, a thickener made by bacteria, used in gluten-free baking and sauces.

How to Solve the Food Additives Word Search

"Xanthan" has the only X and "benzoate" the only Z; both read normally across. "Carrageenan", the longest word at 11 letters, runs upward, with a double R and a double E. Seven words end in -ATE, so watch the beginnings instead.

Ingredient Label Activities for Nutrition Class

Bring packaged foods and find the additives from the puzzle on their labels.
Sort the additives into preservatives, thickeners and emulsifiers.
Discuss why some foods need preservatives and others do not.