Wow! It turns out that our food contains so much "technology and hard work"!

Reviewer: Wang Guoyi

Postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety, China Agricultural University

Recently, the term "technology and hard work" has appeared very frequently on the Internet.

When I heard this term, I thought it was some incredible new technology. After checking, I found out that this meme refers to a series of "technological videos" that have become popular on the Internet. Adding some "Sanhua evaporated milk" to milk tea and hot pot soup base during cooking can change the taste of food and drinks from ordinary to rich and fragrant. It is simply a "black technology" that turns decay into magic.

Source: Weibo screenshot

At the same time, several bloggers have also appeared, and they have filmed a lot of "technology and hard work" through videos. A few spoonfuls of powder can be turned into bone soup that has been boiled all night, which has made many takeout people feel scared and caused great controversy. So, is the so-called "technology and hard work" really a killer of people's health and an accomplice of unscrupulous businesses?

Don’t scare yourself. Whether it’s Sanhua evaporated milk or preservatives, this “technology” is not something new, but our “old friend” - food additives!

What is Sanhua Evaporated Milk?

Sanhua evaporated milk is a major player in the catering industry and is often used in milk tea, coffee, desserts, thick soups, etc. It can add flavor and enhance the taste.

Its main ingredients are fresh milk, milk powder, phospholipids, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, carrageenan and other food additives. It is rich in calcium and high in protein. As long as it is used in accordance with relevant standards and regulations, it can be added to daily food without causing harm to the human body. In fact, from the perspective of lower purine content, it may be healthier than high-purine long-cooked bone soup.

Source｜Internet screenshot

For consumers, the only thing they need to be wary of is the deceptive practice of restaurants selling evaporated milk for bone soup. There is no need to worry about whether Sanhua evaporated milk itself is harmful to the human body.

A detailed discussion on food additives

Many people are always afraid of the word "additive". With the development of the logistics industry, people can taste delicacies from all over the world no matter where they are. However, primary agricultural products cannot survive the long transportation process. In order to preserve the food, most processed foods use additives.

In the modern food industry, food additives are widely used. Basically, all processed foods have food additives added to them, such as canned foods, sweets, seasonings, etc.

Food additives have two functions: one is to prevent food from spoiling and extend the shelf life; the other is to improve the flavor of food and enhance food nutrition.

my country has long formulated the "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives", which clearly stipulates the categories, dosages and applicable scope of food additives. Currently, there are more than 2,300 types of additives allowed for consumption, and there are 23 functional categories.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

We often see many "familiar" additives in our daily lives, such as carrageenan , which is a commonly used thickener extracted from red algae. It is widely used in ice cream, jelly, and formula milk, etc. However, the amount used in food is not high, and the overall intake is low, so it has little effect on health.

The main ingredient of "MSG" is sodium glutamate . The main problem is that it increases the body's sodium ion intake, but there is no problem with its safety. The nitrite in pickled foods can inhibit the growth and reproduction of botulism bacteria and prevent food poisoning. It is toxic only when consumed in excess. Sanhua evaporated milk is actually just a concentrated milk product with some food additives added.

Trans fats can make food taste crispy and stable in appearance, but they can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is recommended that you try to control your trans fat intake.

In fact, people’s rejection of food additives is mainly due to serious food safety incidents such as melamine, Sudan red, and plasticizers. However, they are not food additives at all, but illegal additives that do not meet national safety standards, and their addition is an illegal act.

Therefore, as long as safety standards are met, there is no problem with the use of food additives and there is no need to avoid them.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Does zero additive really mean “0” additive?

In recent years, many products have appeared with titles such as "no preservatives", "zero additives", "no flavors or pigments" to attract people to consume.

But are these foods on the market really "zero additives"? The answer is no.

When shopping in a supermarket, if you have the habit of looking at the ingredient list, you will find that almost all packaged foods neatly arranged on the shelves contain additives.

For some foods that are labeled "preservative-free", do you need to check whether they contain high sugar and salt, or are they dried? If so, then these foods do not need to add preservatives, because the way they are processed can achieve the effect of preservation. For example, honey (high-sugar food) and instant noodles (dried), these foods are difficult to breed microorganisms, so zero additives is just a gimmick for merchants to promote.

Source: pixabay

Compared with zero additives, the use of food additives can better protect food ingredients and prevent people from accidentally eating spoiled food. It can also reduce the cost of living and enable people to eat fresh food from other regions.

Food additives are not terrible, but the excessive promotion of "zero additives" has affected public perception and caused market prices to rise. Many "healthy" foods are not that healthy, and the prices are not necessarily reasonable.

Consumers do not need to be afraid of additives. When buying food, pay more attention to the ingredient list and buy safe food at a reasonable price. Try to cook at home as much as possible and eat more fresh meat and vegetables to maintain good health.

Although we often joke that the Chinese stomach is "immune to all kinds of poisons", we still recommend that you buy food from reliable sources and try to avoid some foods that are really harmful to your health, or buy the ingredients and cook them yourself, which can not only reduce sugar, salt, and oil, but also reduce additives. Instead of worrying about it, it is better to improve your cooking skills and achieve food freedom~