So after reading last week's post, you know what hydrolysed vegetable protein, lecithin and guar gum are.

Let's look at a few more of the common but unfamiliar ingredients and additives that we find on our food labels.

Modified Food Starches: They are products derived from starches, for example from maize, wheat and potato. These starches have been treated by chemical, physical or biological means (e.g. pre-cooking) to produce desirable properties for the food industry. They are used as thickeners, stabilisers, gelling agents, binders or emulsifiers, commonly in products like sauces, gravies, soups, deep frozen dishes and confectionery. Another type of modification is 'pre-gelatinisation' of starch. This allows the starch to form a gel with cold water, as in many 'instant' puddings.

Carob: This ingredient is made from the edible seed pods of the carob tree. The sweet pulp is used to make an alternative to chocolate. The seeds are used to extract something called 'locust bean gum', which is used as an emulsifier, stabiliser, and gelling agent in confectionery, beverages and baked products.

Polyols: These are sugar-alcohols and are also known as sugar replacers, bulk sweeteners or sugar-free sweeteners. Some polyols are found naturally in various fruits and vegetables, for example sorbitol is found in apples and pears. Polyols are mainly used as a sweetener to replace sugar in food. They also have other functions in food, including being bulking agents, emulsifiers, thickeners, glazing agents and anti-caking agents. The most commonly used polyols are maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, isomalt, lactitol, xylitol and erythritol.

Now you know what you're buying when you read those labels.