Pork treated with borax remains fresh for three days.

After just a few minutes of soaking in borax, the meat begins to firm up but still retains its fresh color. According to the butcher, pork marinated in borax can stay fresh for 3 days at room temperature. If refrigerated, it can remain fresh for up to a month.

Reporters participate in the experiment.

According to a butcher in Nam Tu Liem district (Hanoi), we tried using borax to preserve meat for longer. First, we bought borax. There are two types: one keeps meat fresh longer, and another, commonly called "saltpeter," which both keeps meat fresh and gives it a beautiful red color.

Posing as someone about to start a pork business and wanting to learn a little about the process, we went to buy borax at a noodle shop on Nguyen Khang Street (Hanoi). After giving us a scrutinizing look, the shop owner took a plastic bag containing white borax powder from under the table. The price of borax there was 20,000 dong.

The owner became more talkative when asked about her experience in treating fresh meat with borax: "Oh dear, I used to sell pork for a long time before switching to making vermicelli. To keep the meat fresh longer, you have to soak it in water containing borax. People treat meat with borax, and it doesn't smell bad even after being displayed all day in the summer."

Borax powder (small photo). The meat remained fresh 24 hours after being treated with borax. Photo: H. Nguyen

After obtaining borax, the reporter added a moderate amount of this white powder to water, stirred it until dissolved, and used it to marinate the meat. The borax-treated meat began to shrink on the outside.

After about an hour, the outside of the marinated piece of meat was very firm and dry. Meanwhile, the unmarinated piece of meat next to it still had a chewy, sticky texture on the outside.

After 24 hours of marinating at room temperature (around 28°C), the outside of the meat was dry, slightly sticky, the muscle fibers tightened, and it retained its original color. However, when the reporter cut into the meat with a knife, it was whiter inside and had no rancid smell. When pressed with a finger, the meat oozed out a lot of cloudy white liquid.

Meanwhile, the meat that hadn't been treated with borax had a rancid smell. When cut open, the meat was firm, not mushy or watery, but slightly rancid after 24 hours at room temperature without any seasoning. When pressed with a finger, it created an indentation but the mark disappeared when the finger was lifted; the meat fibers were uniform.

A butcher revealed to reporters that pork marinated with borax can stay fresh for 3 days at room temperature. If refrigerated, it can last for a month, and even after thawing, the meat remains as fresh as new. Therefore, in the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), many people often stock up on meat and store it this way to sell after the holiday.

Causes cancer if abused.

Among the chemicals used to preserve food, nitrate and nitrite salts (commonly known as saltpeter and borax) are widely used. According to Professor Tran Hong Con (Department of Chemistry - Faculty of Science (Vietnam National University, Hanoi)), these salts have two uses: to color fish and meat, to make food crispier, and to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Given their usefulness, manufacturers readily add these salts to food. However, Professor Tran Hong Con argues that adding them in moderate amounts is fine. But overuse and exceeding permissible limits can be harmful, and many scientists have issued warnings about this.

According to Professor Tran Hong Con's analysis, "saltpeter" has been used to preserve food for thousands of years. Essentially, our ancestors extracted this substance from bat guano and gunpowder. It dissolves quickly in water and helps food retain its beautiful red color.

In particular, when used to treat food, it shrinks the outer protein cells, reducing internal decomposition, thus keeping meat fresh longer and preventing rancidity. However, according to Professor Tran Hong Con, if the permitted dosage is exceeded, this type of salt is very toxic and harmful to the nervous system. Meanwhile, borax (nitrite salt) is still commonly used in some food processing technologies such as: making sausages, vermicelli, pho, and hot dogs… to increase the crispness of the food.

However, under certain conditions, food containing borax can be contaminated by microorganisms due to exposure to the elements, spoilage, or the conversion of this salt into nitrate salts, which can cause cancer or other diseases.

This is also confirmed in research by several lecturers at Hue University. If the amount of sodium nitrite exceeds the permissible limit, when it enters the human body, it participates in reduction reactions in the stomach and intestines due to the action of digestive enzymes, causing reactions and creating substances that impair oxygen transport and other reactions. If this continues for a long time, it will lead to death.

To buy fresh and delicious pork, you need to observe and choose carefully: Healthy pork usually has a light pink to dark red color. When boiled, the broth should be clear, with large fat globules, a pleasant meaty aroma, and especially no strange odors.

Poor quality pork: The meat is redder than normal, and the internal organs are also red, showing blood clots and excessive shine. The pork has poor elasticity, is mushy, leaks a lot of fluid, is either too hard or too soft. Spoiled meat, left for too long, often turns green and smells bad. If, after washing, the meat turns pale and smells fishy, ​​it indicates that it has been treated with food coloring mixed with pig's blood to make it look fresher and more appealing.

According to docbao.vn