Food additives: Teach you to correctly understand the "technology and hard work" in food

The rich mutton soup made with Sanhua evaporated milk, the milk tea made with creamer powder and non-dairy creamer, and the steak pressed from minced meat and scraps, these "technologies and hard work" spread quickly and were pushed to the forefront of public opinion, triggering people's food anxiety.

So are the ubiquitous food additives safe? Can we eat them? On October 30, Liu Zhiyong, director of the scientific research department of Henan Food and Salt Inspection Technology Research Institute, visited Dahe.com to discuss the "technology and hard work" in food.

Understanding丨There are currently 23 types of food additives in my country

What exactly are food additives? "Food additives refer to artificial or natural substances added to food to improve food quality and color, aroma and taste, as well as for preservation, freshness and processing needs." Liu Zhiyong said that the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China has a clear definition of food additives. At present, there are 23 categories and nearly 2,000 kinds of food additives in my country. The more common ones are acidity regulators, anti-caking agents, defoaming agents, antioxidants, bleaching agents, leavening agents, etc.

Regarding the role of food additives, Liu Zhiyong introduced that its role is very wide, including facilitating food preservation, preventing food spoilage, improving the sensory properties of food, maintaining or improving the nutritional value of food, increasing the variety and convenience of food, facilitating food processing to adapt to production mechanization and automation, meeting the special needs of some special groups of people, etc.

Accept丨It is impossible for us to live without food additives

"Food additives are not a product of modern society. Looking back at history, the Chinese can be regarded as the originators of the use of food additives." Liu Zhiyong said that the Chinese used the additive brine when making tofu more than 2,000 years ago during the Qin and Han dynasties. With the diversification of food demand, people are now inseparable from food additives. There is alum in fried dough sticks, leavening agents in biscuits, coagulant carrageenan in ice cream, food coloring in candy, citric acid in carbonated drinks, preservatives and stabilizers in canned food, and even the sugar substitute erythritol in Yuanqi Forest sparkling water, which has set off the concept of zero sugar in the past two years, is a food additive. Therefore, whether you like it or not, food additives are everywhere in modern food.

So, can we still live without food additives? "It's impossible," said Liu Zhiyong. "Without food additives, there would be no modern food industry." This is a common saying in the food industry, and it is also an objective reality that is not affected by people's likes and dislikes. It must also be admitted that food additives play an increasingly important role in the modern food industry. Without food additives, the dazzling array of foods in stores will no longer exist, and for companies there will be no modern food processing technology, and for consumers, the food will be tasteless.

Liu Zhiyong, Director of the Research Department of Henan Food and Salt Inspection Technology Research Institute

Specifications丨No harm to health if used in accordance with regulations

Are food additives harmful to the human body? Liu Zhiyong said that my country's national food safety standards stipulate the safe use range and limit value of each approved food additive. This use range and limit value have been proven to be safe and reliable through scientific research and risk assessment, that is, they have no toxic effects or adverse effects on health. As long as the food produced by the enterprise in accordance with the standards, it will not cause harm to the health of consumers.

"However, excessive intake of the food additive sodium benzoate will affect the effect of liver enzymes on fatty acids. Excessive sodium in sodium benzoate will also affect human blood pressure, heart, and kidney function, especially for people with weak heart, liver, and kidney function." Liu Zhiyong said that the use of food additives beyond the scope, dosage, and standard is generally called abuse, and the abuse of food additives will cause certain harm to the human body. In order to seek profits, lawbreakers add substances that are not food or food additives to food. We call it illegal addition. The illegal addition of non-food substances will have serious consequences for the human body. Both of these behaviors are illegal acts that the state severely cracks down on, and serious cases may violate the criminal law.

Update: No need to be afraid of drugs

Influenced by various information, people always "change color when talking about additives" and always have psychological shadows about food additives, which is completely understandable. Liu Zhiyong said that in fact, human beings' understanding of food additives is a long process, and the use of food additives is not static. With economic development, progress in science and technology and the renewal of people's dietary concepts, some more advanced food additives are allowed to be used, and some old food additives will be eliminated or restricted.

Although food additives are safe to use according to standards, when we process food, we should use as little or no food additives as possible, and try to reduce the amount used and find the original taste of the food as much as possible, provided that the expected effect can be achieved. Therefore, when buying food, you can try to buy food with fewer types of food additives according to your personal preferences.