Dough stick 'seasoning' can cause brain damage
By Leeann Li |
July 21, 2012, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A FOOD additive containing a banned chemical has been widely used by fried dough stick vendors in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, to make the snack tastier and more attractive.
A major ingredient of the "fried dough stick seasoning" is an industrial chemical, aluminum ammonium sulfate, which has been banned since its long-term intake can lead to brain damage, cerebral atrophy and senile dementia.
The seasoning is popular among Wuhan vendors because 500 grams costs an average of 5 yuan (US 78 cents) but can be used to fry 25 kilograms of crispy and puffy dough sticks, Changjiang Times reported yesterday.
Fried dough sticks, also known as you tiao, are a popular Chinese breakfast food.
Breakfast stall owners prefer "fried dough stick seasoning" over traditional additives, alum and alkali, a seasoning seller told the paper.
According to printed information that comes in the seasoning package, it helps save oil and creates a better taste. However, it is produced by a chemical plant instead of a food factory.
"It must have passed quality tests, otherwise it wouldn't enter the market," another seller said, adding that many fried dough stick makers bought at least 50 kilograms each time.
More than half of the store owners in a local wholesale market sell the toxic seasoning, the paper said.
In previous years, washing powder was said to be used in the cities of Guangzhou and Nanjing to fry the dough sticks to give them a good, puffy appearance.
The news about dough sticks caused concern on the Internet. "I haven't eaten it for long time. I feared vendors might add leftover oil or banned additives," a netizen said.
A major ingredient of the "fried dough stick seasoning" is an industrial chemical, aluminum ammonium sulfate, which has been banned since its long-term intake can lead to brain damage, cerebral atrophy and senile dementia.
The seasoning is popular among Wuhan vendors because 500 grams costs an average of 5 yuan (US 78 cents) but can be used to fry 25 kilograms of crispy and puffy dough sticks, Changjiang Times reported yesterday.
Fried dough sticks, also known as you tiao, are a popular Chinese breakfast food.
Breakfast stall owners prefer "fried dough stick seasoning" over traditional additives, alum and alkali, a seasoning seller told the paper.
According to printed information that comes in the seasoning package, it helps save oil and creates a better taste. However, it is produced by a chemical plant instead of a food factory.
"It must have passed quality tests, otherwise it wouldn't enter the market," another seller said, adding that many fried dough stick makers bought at least 50 kilograms each time.
More than half of the store owners in a local wholesale market sell the toxic seasoning, the paper said.
In previous years, washing powder was said to be used in the cities of Guangzhou and Nanjing to fry the dough sticks to give them a good, puffy appearance.
The news about dough sticks caused concern on the Internet. "I haven't eaten it for long time. I feared vendors might add leftover oil or banned additives," a netizen said.
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