Food with a frightening surprise: read the labels carefully
'12.03.2021'
Source: Rambler
Along with other ingredients, nutritional supplements are usually indicated on the package, but among them there are those whose presence is never indicated on the label, and if indicated, as an E-code, to which almost no one pays attention.
These are non-prohibited substances, and they are all approved for use in food, writes Rambler. Just indicate their manufacturer on the product, there is hardly anyone willing to buy it. We conducted an audit of food additives and found among them 8 substances that make us seriously think about the question: what do we eat?
Ammonia
Producers also use cuts from the meat production process. Since they contain both meat and fatty inclusions, and the remains of connective tissue, they are separated from fat in centrifuges. At the next stage, the resulting semi-finished product is processed with what everyone strongly associates exclusively with the chemical industry and medicine - the meat is affected by ammonia. As a result, the acidity of the meat decreases and pathogenic microorganisms are killed. The end product is called pink slime. It is used for minced meat, where its content does not exceed 25%. In the American market, the share of minced meat with a "secret additive" is about 70%. Whether domestic manufacturers use it is unknown.
Castoreum
In beavers, an aromatic substance is produced in special sacs located at the anus. It is a bright orange liquid with a persistent odor. Most often it is used for medical purposes, as an odor fixer in the production of perfumes, and also as a food flavoring agent. It is added, for example, to candies, gum, gelatin and pudding, thus giving the products the taste of raspberries, strawberries and vanilla.
Pig stubble and human hair
If you see a component such as L-cysteine on the label, before you make a purchase, think again whether you really want to eat it. Through the amino acids present in the protein composition of the hair of each person, improve the quality of flour and bakery products. The additive is obtained by processing human hair or pig bristles. On the label, L-cysteine is indicated by the E920 code.
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Viruses
Infectious agents are usually associated with the medical field or biology, but not with food. However, they are also related to it: in order to kill microbes in food, bacteriophages - viruses that selectively infect bacterial cells - are sprayed on it. Meat and gourmet foods, which are sold in sealed packages, are subjected to such antibacterial therapy.
Gummillak
The insect lacquerbug, which lives on tropical plants, secretes gummilac resin. It is collected, processed and used for the manufacture of alcohol varnishes and varnishes, and also as a glaze, for example, for candies, dragees or tablets. On the packaging, the ingredient may be listed as confectionery glaze, resinous glaze, shellac.
Cellulose
In addition to the production of paper, plastics, film and photographic films and varnishes, wood pulp is used in the manufacture of products. After heat treatment of wood pulp under the influence of chemicals, cellulose is separated. It is cleaned and added to food to thicken, stabilize, replace fat and increase fiber content. For example, cellulose can be found in some types of ice cream, as well as in hard cheeses, where it is used to prevent sticking.
carmine
Red food coloring (carmine) is obtained from carminic acid produced by female cochineal insects. They are collected in the period before oviposition and carmine is extracted from them: the insects are dried, pounded, processed and filtered in a special solution. The dye is used in the meat-processing, dairy, confectionery and fish-processing industries, as well as in the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It is designated as a food additive E120.
Dimethylpolysiloxane
This kind of silicone is mainly used in cosmetic production and for the manufacture of smart clay. But the producers of fast food managed to adapt it for food. The World Health Organization did not record any harmful effects, and dimethylpolysiloxane was used as a component that prevents the oil from foaming. Some of its quantity is added when frying dishes.
