Can snail rice noodle with "odor enhancer" still be eaten?

□ Ruan Guangfeng

In recent days, the "odor enhancer" of snail noodles has sparked heated discussions among netizens. The Chengdu Municipal Market Supervision Administration released a video: Supervisors conducted a surprise inspection of a snail noodle shop with a takeaway platform rating of 4.7 and a monthly sales volume of more than 4,000. They found that the shop only accepted takeaway business and did not have dine-in; the kitchen environment was dirty and the quality of the ingredients was worrying; and under the kitchen operating table, they found a "odor enhancer" specially used to add odor to snail noodles... This made snail noodle "favorite fans" uneasy. What is the "odor enhancer"? Is it safe? Can we still eat snail noodles with confidence in the future?

What is an odor enhancer?

"Odor enhancer" is a common name used by the media, referring to the base material packets and stinky sauce used in snail noodles. Both are compound seasonings, which contain compound food additives - flavors and spices. Their main function is to give the product a specific smell or taste.

Any mixture of two or more food additives can be called a compound food additive. According to the definition of the National Food Safety Standard "General Rules for Compound Food Additives", compound food additives are food additives made by mixing two or more single-variety food additives with or without auxiliary materials by physical methods in order to improve food quality and facilitate food processing.

Are “odor enhancers” safe?

All legal "odor enhancers" are allowed for use and have been evaluated and approved for national safety and are safe when used reasonably.

Some people worry whether overdosage will be harmful? No. Because in actual application, it is impossible to overdose on flavors. One characteristic of flavors is "self-limiting", which means that a small amount will smell good, but too much will be very smelly, so smelly that you feel sick and cough. This is also the reason why the staff of the Chengdu Municipal Market Supervision Administration were so smelly in the news that they coughed and wore a "pain mask" because of the "odor enhancer" in the snail noodle shop.

This is not only true for snail noodle "odor enhancers," but also for all flavors. The perfumes used by many people are also flavors, and if the concentration is high, they will also smell bad. So even if you go to a perfume R&D workshop, you can't smell it, it's so smelly.

The source of its flavor substances

The soup base of snail rice noodle is mainly boiled with snails, shanks, spices, etc., and is served with sour bamboo shoots, chili oil, etc. These rich ingredients create its unique flavor: fresh, sour, spicy, and with a special "stinky" smell. The freshness mainly comes from the snails, the main ingredient of the soup; the sourness and "stink" come from the fermented vegetable sour bamboo shoots added when eating; the spiciness mainly comes from the added chili oil.

Therefore, the flavor of snail rice noodle is the combined taste of all the ingredients. It has many aroma components and is very complex, which together constitute the unique and irresistible taste of snail rice noodle. The "odor enhancer" simulates the aroma of snail rice noodle through a variety of raw materials and flavors. Concentrated soup base and stinky sauce are a product form of "odor enhancer".

Their ingredients are not exactly the same, but usually not very different, and most people can't tell them apart. Some people say that the special flavor of traditional snail rice noodle is not that strong (smelly), but the commercialized ones are more smelly. In fact, it is the result of market development. In order to make the products recognizable, these products are constantly strengthening in one direction (smelly).

Snail rice noodle can be eaten with confidence

As long as it is a regular product, food manufacturers follow relevant food safety standards and regulations, and use it reasonably, there will be no food safety issues and snail noodles can be eaten with confidence.

Of course, the real problem of some snail noodle shops reported by the media is that the environment is dirty and the sanitary conditions are poor. This is a common problem in many small restaurants, and snail noodles are no exception. Therefore, whether you order takeout or eat out in the future, you must choose a regular store or restaurant with good sanitary conditions.

(The author is the deputy director of the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center and a member of the expert committee of the China Internet Rumor Refutation Platform)