How to identify food 'soaked' with borax

Lunar New Year is the occasion when people's demand for goods (especially food) increases dramatically. Therefore, consumers need to be wary of foods containing toxic additives, especially foods containing borax.

Experts warn that eating a lot of foods containing borax is very harmful to health. Illustrative photo

Not included in the list of substances permitted by the Ministry of Health for use in food processing.

Dr. Tran Quang Tung, Institute of Chemical Engineering (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) said that borax is the popular name of the chemical sodium tetraborax decahydrate. This is an antioxidant and has mild antiseptic properties. This chemical was previously used in the food industry due to some advantages such as being able to keep food fresh for a long time without spoiling, so it is often used to marinate fish and meat. In addition, borax can also increase the elasticity of food, so it is often added to vermicelli, pho, ham, nem chua, etc.

However, studies have shown that borax is not completely eliminated, but it can accumulate up to 15% of the amount absorbed into the body. This will cause chronic poisoning in the long term, gradually causing kidney and liver failure, leading to pale skin, anorexia, and physical weakness. It can even cause testicular atrophy, infertility, or digestive complications for those who use it a lot.

Dr. Tran Quang Tung analyzed: “When entering the body, borax reacts with acid in gastric juice to release boric acid. This active ingredient has the effect of inhibiting phagocytes, reducing the body's resistance, it has the property of binding to food, making food much more difficult to digest than normal. Children who use borax for a long time will have slow development in adulthood. If pregnant women are poisoned by borax, borax residue can be excreted through the placenta and milk, causing poisoning to the fetus and young children.”

Some specific evidence of the toxicity of borax can be seen through the use of this chemical as an insecticide. People can apply a layer of borax to the surface of wood, or soak wood in a borax solution to prevent termites. A solution containing 5.5% borax is used as a black ant killer in the kitchen… In Vietnam, borax is not on the list of substances permitted by the Ministry of Health for use in food processing due to its toxicity.

Tips to identify foods containing borax

Some indispensable foods on the Vietnamese family's spring tray are pork and ham. However, the fact that some production facilities, in pursuit of profit, abuse borax in preserving and processing these foods has made housewives apprehensive. Therefore, be a smart consumer in identifying foods "containing" borax to ensure health during the Tet holiday.

Experts say there are many ways to distinguish whether food is marinated with borax or not, such as by smell and color. Specifically, for pork, the meat soaked with borax is very fresh, the meat fibers are firm but dry. Cut into the inside, the meat is soft, has liquid, and has poor elasticity. When eaten, the meat will be loose and smell bad. On the contrary, fresh pork is delicious, the outside is not slimy, the meat is firm and has high elasticity. When pressing your hand on the meat fibers, it feels soft, the meat is concave and then quickly returns to normal. When boiled, the water is clear, the smell is fragrant, and the meat is chewy.

Illustration photo.

As for pork roll, when buying, you need to pay attention to the color and taste of the roll. Good pork roll is the type that has a faint aroma of meat mixed with the smell of the wrapping leaves. When cut, it has a light pink color, the surface of the roll has many tiny holes, feels smooth and slightly wet to the touch, when eaten it will have a sweet aroma, not too crispy, not mushy... As for the sausage, if it is good, it will have a slightly rough shell, a smooth surface. The sausage that has been soaked in borax will not have the characteristic fatty taste of meat but will be unusually crispy and chewy.

In addition to distinguishing foods containing borax with the naked eye, scientists have also shown a method of using turmeric paper to accurately identify the amount of borax "marinated" in pork and ham. Accordingly, borax is alkaline, so when reacting with turmeric paper, it will turn the turmeric paper from yellow to red. Therefore, for convenience, housewives can buy turmeric paper sold on the market or make turmeric paper to try at home.

How to make turmeric paper: Peel fresh turmeric, wash, drain, then crush or use a blender to puree, soak in alcohol for 2-3 hours, filter the water, discard the turmeric residue. Take the filter paper and soak it in the turmeric solution for 1-2 hours, then take it out, dry it, then observe the color of the paper. If the turmeric paper is too light in color, the borax content test is not accurate. Therefore, quality turmeric paper is guaranteed when the surface of the paper is covered with the yellow color of turmeric, the color is even, not too dark or too light.

Finally, apply the turmeric paper to the test product (pork, ham, sausage, etc.). Press the turmeric paper onto the surface of the product (if the surface of the product is dry, you can wet the turmeric paper with a dilute acid solution before testing). After a few minutes, if you see the turmeric paper change from yellow to red, it proves that the product has borax.

According to Gia dinh.net