is 1817 words, and it takes about 1.5 minutes to read.
"My" name is carrageenan .
has become popular recently.
You know "my" name,
but you don't necessarily know "me".
"I" will tell you about the past and present lives of
"I".
The story begins on June 25.
A netizen placed "Zhong Xue Gao Sea Salt Coconut Ice Cream"
at room temperature of 31°C for 1 hour and found that
the ice cream did not melt and
was still lying stubbornly in the box. inside.
△Picture source: Internet screenshot
A few days later,
a video of a netizen using a lighter to light
"Zhong Xuegao Sea Salt Coconut Ice Cream",
suspected of not being burned,
once again detonated the Internet.
△Picture source: China Youth Daily
For a moment, why didn’t the ice cream melt?
pushes "I" - carrageenan,
to everyone.
What exactly is "I"?
Where does "I" come from? Where are you going? Is
harmful? Or beneficial?
Let’s get to know “me”!
Faced with various questions,
I, "carrageenan", became the protagonist!
What is "I"?
"I" is the calcium, potassium, sodium, ammonium salt of polysaccharide sulfate composed of galactose and anhydrogalactose. Due to the different binding forms of sulfate esters, it can be divided into K type (Kappa), I type (Iota), and L type (Lambda). Also called cheuleanthin gum, gelidium gum, carrageenan gum, carrageenan.
Where does "I" come from?
In fact, "I" is a widely used hydrophilic colloid extracted from red algae seaweeds such as Eucheuma, Gelidium, and Carrageensis.
What does "I" look like?
"I" is a white or light brown granule or powder, odorless or slightly odorless, with a slimy texture. Soluble in water at around 80°C, forming a viscous, transparent or slightly milky free-flowing solution. How does
get "i"?
Wash and dry seaweed , put it into an extraction pot, add 30 to 50 times of water (or an appropriate amount of alkali solution), heat it with steam (about 100°C) for 40 to 60 minutes, filter, and filter out while stirring Add an alcoholic solvent to the extract, centrifuge, and the precipitate is dried by a drum and crushed, and you can get "I"!
What is the role of "I"?
"I" actually functions similarly to starch and has a good coagulation effect, so "I" often plays the role of thickener, gelling agent, suspending agent , emulsifier and stabilizer in food to help with fluidity. Food becomes more stylish.
What places does "I" frequent?
As a food additive, "I" has the basic properties of soluble dietary fiber . "I" can be seen in jelly, ice cream, pastries, soft candies, canned food, meat products, eight-treasure porridge, white fungus bird's nest, soups, cold foods and other foods.
For example, "I" can help meat retain moisture better, making the meat more tender; it can also improve the shape of ice crystals in ice cream, making it taste softer and denser, and prolong the melting speed of ice cream.
"I" can also promote your gastrointestinal motility, but don't be greedy for too much!
In the national standard GB 2760-2014 " National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Usage Standard ", "I" can be "added in appropriate amounts according to production needs" in various types of food. However, considering the comprehensive cost and taste, general ice cream companies will control the usage of "I" to about 0.5%.
Due to the high viscosity of "I", excessive consumption will cause certain damage to the gastrointestinal tract and may also induce gastritis and enteritis .
However, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives conducted a safety assessment on "I" and found that intestinal ulcers will only occur when the human body ingests 45,000 mg.In other words, a normal person needs to eat 45 kilograms of jelly in one day. Obviously, this is impossible.
At the same time, under normal circumstances, production companies will not increase the use of "I" too much. Because one percent of the "I" content may cause the food to turn into jelly. Therefore, situations such as "long-term large amounts" and "overdose" basically do not exist in reality.
In addition, with moderate intake, "I" can also help everyone's gastrointestinal motility and promote defecation to a certain extent.
What other friends are similar to "me"?
Currently, among the thickener approved by the state, "I" have about 20 "glue" friends.
Some of them, like "me", are also extracted from algae , such as seaweed.
Most of them come from the seeds of leguminous plants, such as guar gum , pectin, locust bean gum , karaya gum, acacia gum, cassia gum, tamarind gum, wormwood gum , sesbania gum, linseed gum , sapodilla gum, gum arabic .
Some also come from microorganisms, such as xanthan gum , codran gum, gellan gum .
There are also some from animals, such as gelatin , shellac .
In addition to food additives, what else can "I" be used for?
In the daily chemical industry such as detergents and cosmetics, adding "my" detergent can prevent further contamination.
In liquid detergents, "I" can also improve its dispersion and storage properties.
In cosmetics, since "I" is easily adsorbed by the skin, it can be mixed with glycerol and so on to make an emollient.
In some lotions and shampoos, "I" can be used as an emulsifier to make the product smooth and soft, and the stability of the lotion is also improved. Is
really related to "me"?
Whether "Zhong Xuegao Sea Salt Coconut Ice Cream" can completely dispel the public's doubts remains to be tested in practice. Relevant departments have already intervened in the investigation. You just need to wait patiently and believe that the truth will come out.
The biggest problem with Zhong Xuegao’s is probably not that the word “I” is used in the ingredients, but that as a representative of high-priced ice cream, can it afford the high price and make people feel that it is worth the money?
Produced by: Minsheng Weekly (ID: msweekly) New Media Department
Editors: Tang Xiaotong, Jiang Yuhan
Editor-in-chief: Liu Yeye
Editor-in-Chief: Cui Jingfang
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