Recently, " formaldehyde fruits and vegetables" reappeared and instantly became the traffic password for major Internet celebrities.
"Formaldehyde Fruit and Vegetable" video rendering panic
creating anxiety
In a video called "'Formaldehyde Banana' Evaluation", the blogger cut the banana into pieces and used a card marked "Air Formaldehyde Quick Tester Color Level" for testing. Finally, the conclusion that "banana formaldehyde exceeds the standard" was concluded based on the color of the activator. There is also a video saying that "many fruits and vegetables need to be soaked in some 'technological vitality water'."
These seemingly one-shot "scientific evaluations" have caused many netizens to worry about food safety issues, and they lamented, "I don't know what else to eat?!"
So, can air formaldehyde testers detect the "aldehyde content" in fruits and vegetables? Is the "technological vitality water" soaked in fruits and vegetables really formaldehyde?
Rumor 1: The "technological vitality water" that soaks fruits and vegetables is formaldehyde
In fact, as early as 2017, the rumors of "banana soaking unknown liquid" in the market caused panic due to the claim that "the unknown liquid soaking bananas is a highly toxic carcinogen formaldehyde."
Nowadays, the "unknown liquid" soaking fruits and vegetables has become the "technological vitality water" mentioned by internet celebrities, causing the rumors of "soaking fruits and vegetables in formaldehyde" to spread again.
In fact, the so-called "unknown liquid" and "technological vitality water" soaking fruits and vegetables is not formaldehyde, but a preservative. Its main ingredients are amine, methylthioglycerol and isoglycerol , etc., which can reduce the rot and spoilage of fruits and vegetables during long-distance transportation, and have the characteristics of low toxicity and fast degradation. Monitoring data from in recent years shows that the residual amount of preservatives on fruits and vegetables is within the national residue limit range, and meets national standards, and consumers can eat it with confidence.
Moreover, my country's "Food Safety Law" and " Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law " also clearly stipulate that formaldehyde shall not be produced, operated and used as a processing aid for food. In other words, any method of adding formaldehyde to food is illegal.
Rumor 2: Air formaldehyde tester can detect the "aldehyde content" in fruits and vegetables
The formaldehyde detection kit used in the online evaluation video mainly consists of four parts: color developer, absorber, absorption box, and colorimetric card.
Internet-transfer air formaldehyde self-test box contrast color gradation diagram
This type of products mainly use phenol reagent color development method to measure the concentration of formaldehyde in the air. In layman's terms, it is the principle that absorbs formaldehyde in the air (formaldehyde is easily soluble in water), and the absorption box is placed in the space that needs to be measured. After adding the color developer, the concentration of formaldehyde in the space is judged by the color after the chemical reaction occurs, referring to the color card.
It is worth noting that this type of product is specially used to detect formaldehyde concentrations in specific spaces such as indoors and furniture. The detection methods are easily disturbed by other factors in the environment, and the results are high or false positive phenomenon.
Therefore, the online evaluation video of uses products that detect formaldehyde concentration in a specific space to detect the "aldehyde content" in fruits and vegetables, which is equivalent to using the wrong measurement tools and measurement methods. The conclusions drawn are obviously also unscientific fallacies.
Is trace formaldehyde in fruits and vegetables harmful to health?
In organisms, formaldehyde is widely present as an intermediate for growth and metabolism. Formaldehyde will be produced in edible fungi, vegetables, fruits, meat products, dairy products, aquatic products and even in the human body. Some agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables will naturally metabolize trace formaldehyde during the production process, but these formaldehydes are not caused by artificial addition or environmental pollution, and are not harmful to the human body.
How to correctly purchase fruits and vegetables and eat them safely?
1. When purchasing fruits and vegetables, you can choose those with good appearance, freshness and no odor.
2. Before eating raw fruits and vegetables, clean the surface with clean water, especially pay attention to the difficult parts such as the fruit stems. If you need to cut and process the hands, chopping boards, knives and utensils that deal with cooked food must be cleaned first. Do not mix with chopping boards, knives and utensils that deal with raw meat, poultry, eggs, fish and shrimp.
3. It is recommended that consumers go to regular, large supermarkets or agricultural (food) markets with relevant qualifications to purchase fruits and vegetables.
4. If you suspect symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea due to unsanitary eating of fruits and vegetables, please seek medical treatment in time and take the initiative to inform the doctor of the suspicious food history.
Source: Internet Joint Rumor Refuting Platform
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-