Food additives are substances that are added to food to serve specific technological functions for consumer acceptability, shelf-life extension and other product quality attributes. They may be directly added in very small amounts or indirectly during the manufacture, preparation, packaging, transport or storage. As chemical preservatives, they prevent or minimize degradation by microbial growth and activity, which may constitute safety hazards or undesirable quality changes. Depending on their chemistry and functionality, food additives are categorized into several groups, but the commonest are the antimicrobials, antioxidants or anti-browning agents. They may be extracted from natural sources such as in plants, microorganisms or animals, or may be synthetically derived. Synthetic antioxidants as well as naturally occurring polyphenols are used to minimize oxidation in foods. Antimicrobial agents destroy and or inhibit microbial growth in foods, while anti-browning agents prevent discolouration of foods caused by the action of endogenous enzymes. Selection of a food additive depends on the product type, expected functionality, pH of the matrix, among other factors. The use of food additives in food processing is strictly regulated by bodies, such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (USA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (European Union (EU)) because of consumer safety concerns.