Although preserved fruits and vegetables are the main raw materials, their nutritional value is far from that of fresh fruits and vegetables. During the processing of candied fruit, the vitamin C contained in the fruit is basically destroyed, and the purity of white sugar used in the processing can reach over 99%. Such pure sugar has little nutritional value except providing a lot of heat energy for the body. Eating this polysaccharide will also lead to the deficiency of vitamin B and some trace elements. Candied fruit will not only add sugar, but also add other sweeteners. These sweeteners are more "positive" in sweetness and lower in price, which we will explain in detail in the following additives.
We will find that preserved fruit is not pure sweet, but has a sweet and sour taste, which is due to the "unique" seasoning effect of sour agent and salt. According to the survey, the nutritional reference value of sodium in a preserved fruit is 100%, which means that the sodium required for adults to eat 100 grams of preserved fruit every day has been completely consumed. As we all know, high-sodium food can lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and excessive consumption of high-sodium food can also cause damage to the stomach and kidneys.
Although moderate consumption of candied fruit will not have much impact on human health, we should pay more attention to whether there are excessive preservatives, flavors and other additives in candied fruit.
The content of additives in candied fruit is high.
In order to prolong the shelf life and improve the taste of candied fruit, modern technology will add many additives to candied fruit. The following are three common additives that are easy to exceed the standard in candied fruit.
The first is sulfur dioxide.
The traditional processing technology of preserved fruit is sulfite or sulfur fumigation. The sulfur dioxide produced by it has the functions of bleaching, antisepsis and antioxidation, and can inhibit the activity of oxidase in fruits and vegetables, thus reducing browning and improving the color of pickled food. Therefore, it is not surprising that sulfur dioxide is detected in candied fruit, but China strictly stipulates that the sulfur dioxide content in candied fruit should not exceed 0.35g per kilogram.
Modern medical research shows that sulfur dioxide has certain toxicity, which can react reversibly with sulfhydryl groups in protein, stimulate digestive tract mucosa, and cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms. Long-term excessive consumption has certain damage to the stomach and liver. The operation of some domestic manufacturers is not standardized, which easily leads to excessive sulfur dioxide residues in candied fruit. As a kind of food suitable for all ages, the hygienic quality of candied fruit will directly affect human health, especially for children and adult women.
The second is sodium cyclamate.
It is a sweetener, widely used in food processing and manufacturing, and its sweetness is 30-80 times that of sucrose. It is pure natural, tasteless and stable.
The daily allowable intake recommended by FAO/ WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives is 1 1 mg/kg body weight. Eating too much candied fruit is harmful to the liver and nervous system, especially to the elderly, pregnant women and children with weak metabolism and detoxification ability. The third is artificial pigment.
Colorants allowed to be used in candied food include indigo and its aluminum lake, radish red, gardenia yellow, safflower yellow, lemon yellow and its aluminum lake, sunset yellow and its aluminum lake, natural amaranth red and so on.
Generally speaking, it is safe to use pigments within the standard range. However, some unscrupulous merchants often add too much in pursuit of product appearance. A large number of research reports point out that almost all synthetic pigments can't provide nutrition for human body, some synthetic pigments may even endanger human health, lead to fertility decline and teratogenesis, and some pigments may also be transformed into carcinogens in human body.
For people who like candied fruit, they should not only choose the right amount, but also choose regular products in regular places, so as to better protect their own safety.
Among these snacks, sweets may be the most, and related pediatrician research shows that if you eat too many sweets, you may consume too much sugar. For children, it is the development stage of long body. If you eat too much sugar, it may accelerate the loss of calcium. In this case, the growth and development of children's bones will be affected, so we can also find some children who like snacks, and they will grow taller.
In any case, in the process of taking care of children, parents must consider all aspects of their physical development, and don't indulge their children too much because they like to eat snacks. What we need to know is that if this situation persists for a long time, the impact on children will be far greater than our imagination.