Whey powder, casein, gluten (as an added ingredient), lactose, concentrated fruit juices, high fructose corn syrup, soya protein isolate, hydrolysed protein, invert sugar syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin.
Sweeteners:
Aspartame, saccharine, cyclamate, compounds derived from stevia – stevia itself is usually considered less processed.
Colours and flavourings:
Definitely anything with a E number, but don’t be fooled by the phrase ‘natural flavourings’ – they could be fine, but equally they might derive from a natural source but are ultra processed. Depending on the quantities used, it might be something you choose not to get too hung up about.
Oils:
UPF oils are cheap and make food hyper-palatable. Look for the word ‘hydrogenated’. Also, oils like palm, vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed, soybean are usually UPF due to the way they’re processed (see my pinned Fats and Oils post).
Emulsifiers, thickeners, stabilisers, anti-foaming, etc. agents:
Emulsifiers are used to bind oil and water. Natural emulsifiers are egg yolk, honey and mustard. The most common emulsifiers in UPF are lecithins (soya or sunflower).
Thickeners used by a domestic cook might be flour, cornflour, arrowroot powder, potato. UPF thickeners include locust bean gum, guar gum, xanthan gum, maltodextrin (also used as a preservative) and carrageenan. Some of these gums, e.g. guar gum are ‘natural’ in that they are derived from plants (the guar bean) but are highly processed – for example, guar beans are often soaked in ethanol or isopropanol as part of their extensive processing.
Preservatives:
Including ascorbic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, calcium propionate, nitrate, sulphite, citric acid – naturally occurring in fruit but in UPF it’s made by fermenting low-grade sugars.
