List of Food Additives - P

P

• Palm oil - the most widely produced tropical oil. Also used to make biofuel.
• Panax ginseng -
• Panax quinquefolius -
• Ponch phoran -
• Pandan leaf -
• Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B₅) -
• Papain - A cysteine protease hydrolase enzyme present in papaya (Carica papaya) and mountain papaya (Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis).
• Paprika red
• Paprika -
• Paprika extract -
• Paraffins - glazing agent
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) -
• Patent blue V - color (blue)
• Peanut oil/Ground nut oil - mild-flavored cooking oil.
• Pecan oil - valued as a food oil, but requiring fresh pecans for good quality oil.
• Pectin - vegetable gum, emulsifier
• Perilla seed oil - high in omega-3 fatty acids. Used as an edible oil, for medicinal purposes, in skin care products and as a drying oil.
• Phosphated distarch phosphate - thickener, vegetable gum
• Phosphoric acid - food acid
• Phytic acid - preservative
• Pigment Rubine - color
• Pimaricin - preservative
• Pine needle oil
• Pine seed oil - an expensive food oil, used in salads and as a condiment.
• Pistachio oil - strongly flavored oil, particularly for use in salads.
• Prune kernel oil - marketed as a gourmet cooking oil
• Poly vinyl pyrrolidone -
• Polydextrose - humectant
• Polyethylene glycol 8000 - antifoaming agent
• Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids - emulsifier
• Polyglycerol polyricinoleate - emulsifier
• Polymethylsiloxane - antifoaming agent
• Polyoxyethylene (40) stearate - emulsifier
• Polyoxyethylene (8) stearate - emulsifier, stabilizer
• Polyphosphates - mineral salt, emulsifier
• Polysorbate 20 - emulsifier
• Polysorbate 40 - emulsifier
• Polysorbate 60 - emulsifier
• Polysorbate 65 - emulsifier
• Polysorbate 80 - emulsifier
• Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone - color stabiliser
• Pomegranate seeds (though some consider these a fruit, not a spice)
• Ponceau 4R - color (FDA: Ext D&C Red #8)
• Ponceau 6R - color
• Ponceau SX - color
• Poppy seed -
• Poppyseed oil - used for cooking, moisturizing skin, and in paints, varnishes and soaps.
• Potassium acetates - preservative, acidity regulator
• Potassium adipate - food acid
• Potassium alginate - thickener, vegetable gum, stabilizer, gelling agent, emulsifier
• Potassium aluminium silicate - anti-caking agent
• Potassium ascorbate - antioxidant (water soluble)
• Potassium benzoate - preservative
• Potassium bicarbonate - mineral salt
• Potassium bisulfite - preservative, antioxidant
• Potassium bromate - flour treatment agent
• Potassium carbonate - mineral salt
• Potassium chloride - mineral salt
• Potassium citrates - food acid
• Potassium ferrocyanide - anti-caking agent
• Potassium fumarate - food acid
• Potassium gluconate - stabiliser
• Potassium hydrogen sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
• Potassium hydroxide - mineral salt
• Potassium lactate - food acid
• Potassium malate - food acid
• Potassium metabisulfite - preservative, antioxidant
• Potassium nitrate - preservative, color fixative
• Potassium nitrite - preservative, color fixative
• Potassium phosphates - mineral salt
• Potassium propionate - preservative
• Potassium salts of fatty acids - emulsifier, stabiliser, anti-caking agent
• Potassium sodium tartrate - food acid
• Potassium sorbate - preservative
• Potassium sulfate - mineral salt, seasoning
• Potassium sulfite - preservative, antioxidant
• Potassium tartrates - food acid
• Powdered Cellulose - anti-caking agent
• Primrose (Primula) — candied flowers, tea
• Processed Eucheuma seaweed - thickener, vegetable gum, stabilizer, gelling agent, emulsifier
• Propane-1,2-diol alginate - thickener, vegetable gum, stabilizer, emulsifier
• Propionic acid - preservative
• Propyl gallate - antioxidant
• Propylene glycol - humectant
• Propylene glycol alginate - thickener, vegetable gum, stabilizer, emulsifier
• Propylene glycol esters of fatty acids - emulsifier
• Propylparaben (propyl para-hydroxybenzoate) - preservative
• Pumpkin seed oil - a specialty cooking oil, produced in Austria and Slovenia. Doesn't tolerate high temperatures.
• Pulegone
• Purslane -
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B₆) -