Editing Humectant (section)

===Food additives===
Some common humectants used in food are [[honey]] and glucose syrup both for their water absorption and sweet flavor.<ref name="Farris, S. S. 2008">{{cite journal |author1=Farris S. S. |author2=Piergiovanni L. L. |author3=Limbo S. S. | year = 2008 | title = EFFECT OF BAMBOO FIBRE AND GLUCOSE SYRUP AS NEW INGREDIENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMARETTI COOKIES | journal = Italian Journal of Food Science | volume = 20 | issue = 1| pages = 75–90 }}</ref> Glucose syrup also helps to retain the shape of the product better than other alternatives, for a longer period of time. In addition, some humectants are recognized in different countries as good [[food additives]] because of the increase in nutritional value that they provide, such as [[sodium hexametaphosphate]].<ref>Broad Chemicals as Food Additives. (2010). ''China Chemical Reporter'', 21(4), 12.</ref>

In order to gauge a compound's humectancy, scientists will put it through a series of tests, often involving water absorption. In tests involving toothpaste, the process is also coupled with a sweetness test and a crystallization test. When humectancy is being assessed in different products, testers will compare the results to other humectants that are already used in those products, in order to evaluate efficiency.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Lu Y. Y. | year = 2001 | title = Humectancies of d-tagatose and d-sorbitol | journal = International Journal of Cosmetic Science | volume = 23 | issue = 3| page = 178 | doi = 10.1046/j.1467-2494.2001.00084.x | pmid = 18498471 | s2cid = 206173511 }}</ref>

Some of these humectants are seen in non-ionic [[polyols]] like [[sucrose]], [[glycerin]] or [[glycerol]] and its triester ([[triacetin]]). These humectant food additives are used for the purpose of controlling [[viscosity]] and texture. Humectants also add bulk, retain moisture, reduce water activity, and improve softness. A main advantage of humectant food additives is that, since they are non-ionic, they are not expected to influence any variation of the [[pH]] [[aqueous]] systems.<ref>{{cite book|chapter= Preservatives|doi=10.1002/9781118274132.ch15
| publisher= Wiley |title=Chemistry of Food Additives and Preservatives|pages=224–243|year = 2012|isbn = 9781118274132 | author-first=Titus A. M. | author-last=Msagati  }}</ref>

Glycerol or glycerin humectants undergo a pretreatment process using [[saponification]], bleaching, ion exchange exclusion, both cationic and ionic ion exchanges, vacuum flash evaporation, thin film distillation, and heating to produce a 100% pure glycerol.<ref>Msagati, Titus A. M. ''The Chemistry of Food Additives and Preservatives''. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. PDF.</ref>

Humectants are used in stabilization of food products and lengthening shelf life through food and moisture control. The available moisture determines [[microbial]] activity, physical properties, sensory properties and the rate of chemical changes, that if not controlled, are the cause of reduced shelf life.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Severini C. |author2=Corbo M. |author3=Derossi A. |author4=Bevilacqua A. |author5=Giuliani R. | year = 2008 | title = Use of humectants for the stabilization of pesto sauce | journal = International Journal of Food Science & Technology | volume = 43 | issue = 6| pages = 1041–1046 | doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2007.01560.x }}</ref> Examples are dry [[cereal]] with semi-moist [[raisins]], [[ice cream]] in a cone, [[chocolate]], [[hard candy]] with liquid centers and [[cheese]]. Humectants are used to stabilize the moisture content of foodstuffs and are incorporated as food additives. Humectants are also used in military technology for the use of [[MRE]]s and other military rations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26255153|title=The military pizza that lasts for three years|date=19 February 2014|access-date=17 November 2016|work=BBC News}}</ref>
A number of food items always need to be moist. The use of humectants reduces the available water, thus reducing bacterial activity. They are used for safety issues, for quality, and to have a longer shelf-life in food products.

An example of where humectants are used to keep food moist is in products like [[toothpaste]]<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Lu | first1 = Y. Y. | year = 2001 | title = Humectancies of d-tagatose and d-sorbitol | journal = International Journal of Cosmetic Science | volume = 23 | issue = 3| pages = 175–81 | doi=10.1046/j.1467-2494.2001.00084.x| pmid = 18498471 | s2cid = 206173511 }}</ref> as well as certain kinds of [[cookies]]. Regional kinds of cookies often use humectants as a binding agent in order to keep moisture locked into the center of the cookie rather than have it evaporate out.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Farris S. S. |author2=Piergiovanni L. L. |author3=Limbo S. S. | year = 2008 | title = EFFECT OF BAMBOO FIBRE AND GLUCOSE SYRUP AS NEW INGREDIENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF AMARETTI COOKIES | journal = Italian Journal of Food Science | volume = 20 | issue = 1| page = 77 }}</ref> Humectants are favored in food products because of their ability to keep consumable goods moist and increase shelf-life.<ref name="Farris, S. S. 2008"/>