Although food additives have always been the focus of parents' attention, many people may be unfamiliar with carrageenan. So what exactly is carrageenan? What harm may it cause?
Carrageenan is a hydrophilic colloid extracted from red algae. In fact, like gelatin, it is used as thickener, stabilizer, adhesive and emulsifier in food industry to "improve" texture.
Carrageenan is a ubiquitous food additive in processed foods, including baked goods, dairy products, sauces and meat products. Children's favorite cheese, ice cream, chocolate and pudding. There is also carrageenan.
Originally from Ireland, this food additive has been used in the European Union for a long time, but so far, no regulatory agency has explicitly declared carrageenan safe.
Controversial experiments show that carrageenan is easy to cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
So many foods are using this additive. Is it really as safe as everyone looks? Actually, it is not.
Public reports show that in the past decades, researchers have successfully proved the possible risks of food-grade carrageenan in many aspects. About 3855 scientific papers in the world show that carrageenan can cause inflammation and cancer risk. Animal experiments also show that food-grade carrageenan can cause gastrointestinal inflammation and high-frequency intestinal injury, ulcer and even malignant tumor. Many consumers who experience symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort, such as flatulence, stomachache and severe inflammation, find that the symptoms are significantly improved after carrageenan is removed from their diet.
In fact, carrageenan can be divided into two types: degradable and non-degradable, but no matter which one, some related researchers have expressed some concerns about its application and admitted that both of them may have adverse effects.
The European Food Science Committee reviewed the safety data of carrageenan and concluded that food-grade carrageenan is unsafe unless the content of degraded carrageenan in food-grade carrageenan is kept at the lowest level, that is, below 5%. This decision prompted the industry to carry out laboratory tests on food-grade carrageenan, but the results showed that almost no food-grade carrageenan samples could meet this requirement.
Read the composition list carefully and "jump out" from the fire pit in time.
Faced with such a controversial food additive, what is the secret of rapid identification of carrageenan by Baba Ma Bao?
It's simple. When choosing food for children at home, be sure to read and study the ingredient label on the food carefully. If the word "carrageenan" is involved, our parents will pay attention to it in time and stop buying food containing carrageenan, even if it is a big brand, we must resolutely abandon it.
Carrageenan is used more and more widely, which gives people a feeling that it can't be prevented. However, in order to prevent the baby from getting sick from his mouth, Bao Dad and Ma Bao still need to play an active role and strengthen prevention. Nowadays, the whole society has a long way to go to prevent and supervise food safety. As parents, we should build a "firewall" for children's health.