How to identify ham and sausage that do not contain borax

Nowadays, the situation of food containing chemicals is quite widespread, making it difficult for consumers to recognize which food is good and which is not. The following article will help you distinguish "clean ham and sausage".

Harmful effects of borax:

Borax, also known as ice, borax, has the chemical base of Sodium traborate. This is a colorless crystal, has a sour and slightly bitter taste, can be dissolved in water and alcohol. Medical research shows that if you use a lot of borax, it will have some of the following harmful effects:

At low levels: use 3-5g/day: poor appetite, general discomfort.

At high levels: over 5g/day: causes slow growth, liver damage, testicular atrophy, weight loss.

When entering the body, after being excreted, the amount of borax will accumulate about 15%. Thus, if you use food containing borax for many days, the body will accumulate a dangerous amount of borax as if you used food containing a lot of borax at one time. For that reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have strongly condemned the use of borax in food processing.

When adding borax to starches such as vermicelli, glass noodles, rice paper, pho, cakes, ham, sausage... borax will make the starch have a high density. Because of this property, many people like to use it to increase the toughness and crispiness of products, or use it to mix more powder into ham, sausage, meat, fish of all kinds to reduce product costs.

In addition, in foods with a lot of protein such as meat, fish... the amount of water exists quite large (65-80%) in free or bound form. Therefore, when using borax, this bond is stronger, the protein structure is more solid, that is, the meat is tougher, crispier, more elastic and can retain water at the maximum level, so it weighs more. This explains why in some cases it cannot be measured because the concentration of borax far exceeds the maximum index of the measuring instrument.

The antiseptic properties of borax are very strong, so many people take advantage of this property of borax to add to food to preserve it for a long time without worrying about spoilage even without refrigeration.

In short, because of the special properties of borax mentioned above, many people have taken full advantage of it to make a profit, regardless of the health of the user, requiring medical treatment to take timely measures.

How to recognize good ham without borax and secret to choosing good ham:

Ham

Distinguish by looking:When cut, the ham is called delicious because it has an ivory color that is slightly pinkish, the surface has many holes, the ham looks smooth and a bit wet. The reason is because the ham is made from delicious lean meat, when ground, the meat will become sticky and wrap a layer of air inside, so when boiling or steaming the ham, the air will expand and find a way to get out, creating holes inside the ham.

Distinguish by smell:Good ham is the kind that has a faint aroma of meat mixed with the smell of the wrapping leaves. If you see a ham with a strong, fragrant smell, you should be careful because that ham has been soaked with meat flavor additives. The smell of ham is created by the quality of the ham, only faint, mixed with the aroma of the wrapping leaves is good. If you see a ham with a rancid, stale smell, the wrapping leaves are dry, old, sticky to the hands or have symptoms of fungus, mold, you should immediately discard it.

Distinguish by taste:A good piece of ham will have a sweet and fragrant taste, slightly crispy, soft, not unusually tough or crunchy, not dry or tough, not pulpy and not mushy.

If the ham is too soft, has no aroma, and has no holes on the surface, it means it has been mixed with flour. If the ham is crispy, chewy, and unusually smooth, it means it has been mixed with borax during processing.

Cha

Distinguishing good cha is similar to distinguishing ham, however because cha does not have a leaf layer wrapped on the outside, it is easier to distinguish than ham. A piece of cha is called good when the crust has the natural yellow color of fried meat but the crust is a bit rough, not smooth, the inside layer is soft, smooth, with many small holes.

If you touch the ham, it will feel soft, slightly wet but not sticky, just a little greasy on your hand (the reason is because the ham is mixed with more fat than the ham, so when you touch the ham, it will stick more grease to your hand than the ham). Good ham has a light aroma, when eaten it does not fall apart, is not crumbly but is not too dry and hard.

If the meatloaf is too soft, loses its characteristic fatty taste, and has no holes on the surface, it means that the meat was mixed with flour during processing. If the meatloaf has an unusual aroma, is chewy, or crispy, it means that it was mixed with borax.

It can be said that food safety is the top issue in women's housework, especially during Tet holidays, when food sources are abundant and more and more foods of unknown origin are entering. Be a wise woman and choose well to take care of your beloved family. In addition, women should buy ham at reputable and reliable establishments and addresses to ensure safety./.

According to khoahoc.tv