Aversive agents are unpleasantly flavored substances added to poisonous

household goods Household goods are goods and products used within households. They are the tangible and movable personal property placed in the rooms of a house, such as a bed or refrigerator. Economic role Businesses that produce household goods are categori ...

to discourage children and animals from consuming them. Aversive agents are not intended to be harmful, only unpleasant. For example, to prevent children from consuming poisonous

anti-freeze An antifreeze is an additive which lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. An antifreeze mixture is used to achieve freezing-point depression for cold environments. Common antifreezes also increase the boiling point of the liquid, allow ...

, which has a sweet flavor due to the

ethylene glycol Ethylene glycol ( IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound (a vicinal diol) with the formula . It is mainly used for two purposes: as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odo ...

, an aversive agent is added, which gives the anti-freeze an unpleasant taste. There are two primary classes of aversive agents:

bitterant A bitterant (or bittering agent) is a chemical that is added to a product to make it olfaction, smell or taste Taste#Bitterness, bitter. Bitterants are commonly used as aversive agents to discourage the inhalation or ingestion of toxic substances ...

s, chemicals producing a bitter flavor, and pungent agents, chemicals producing an unpleasantly pungent flavor.

References

{{reflist Food additives

See also

References