How to distinguish dishes using chemical colors

Artificial colors are added to food to have beautiful colors, increase attractiveness to consumers, absolutely no nutritional value, even if abuse can cause illness.

- Natural color products: are pigments extracted or processed from organic materials (plants and animals) available in nature. For example, natural Carotene is extracted from yellow fruits, Curcumin is extracted from turmeric, Caramel color is made from sugar .

The group of natural color products has the disadvantage of low durability, large use, so the product cost is high .

- Synthetic chemical color: are color products created by chemical synthesis. For example Amaranth (red), Brilliant blue (green), Sunset yellow (orange), Tartazine (lemon yellow) .

The synthetic color products often achieve high color fastness, with a small amount of color to meet the requirements set, but can be toxic if used non-pure, not allowed to use in food.

Many people, especially food processing establishments, prefer chemical colors because they often bring nice colors to dishes, do not fly color during processing and make dishes more eye-catching and attractive, no easily broken.

Chemical colors are usually very cheap, only about 25,000-50,000 VND / kg with no label from China. It is very easy to buy these colors, all of which are widely sold in the market, they are easy to use and never damaged.

In order to distinguish it, consumers should note that food that is chemically colored often has an eye-catching, colorful color, but looks less natural than food that uses natural colors. Below is a picture of the difference between food using color and natural color.

The difference of food when using natural colors and artificial colors.(Photo: Nguyen Anh Thu)

Harm of chemical food color

Foods that contain colored products in the list of products permitted to be used as food additives of the Ministry of Health, below the permitted residue limits will not affect health. However, if misuse of color products, or running after profits, the use of coloring products outside the permitted category for food processing (especially synthetic colors) will be very harmful, can cause acute poisoning. Long-term accumulation and accumulation may lead to cancer, such as Sudanese red chili sauce and Rhodamine B. red dye.

The eye-catching, unidentified, non-ingredient colors are sold at many markets.(Photo: Nguyen Anh Thu)

All toxic artificial food colors have been banned for a long time by the US Food and Drug Administration, but there are five types still exist in the Vietnamese market: food colors: Blue1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; and Yellow 6 - these are all substances that can cause cancer when tested in animals.

Blue 1 and 2 are found in soft drinks such as (tea, milk, wine, beer .), candies, baked goods and pet food are low risk but it is related to cancer in mouse. Red 3 produces cherry red, cocktail, candy, baked goods, which have been shown to cause thyroid tumors in mice. Green 3 is found in candies and soft drinks, although rarely used, causes bladder cancer. Studies have shown that yellow 6 is the most commonly used substance for soft drinks, sausages, gelatin, baked goods and candies. Yellow 6 can cause tumors in the kidneys and adrenal glands.

Currently industrial color is still used quite popular in some children's foods such as jelly, juice, fast food, candy cake . A previous study by the Food Standards Management Bureau also gave See, regular use of industrial colored food will negatively affect children's intelligence, causing IQ to drop at least 5.5 points.

How to replace chemical colors

When preparing food at home, it is best to use natural coloring products. If synthetic color products are used, it is important to know what color they are and whether they can be used in food processing. Do not buy and do not use retail packaging products without labels, unclear origins for food processing.

According to Dr. Phan Thi Suu, Director of the Center for Food Safety Technology, Vietnam Food Science and Technology Association, to prevent the harmful effects of food staining, consumers should pay attention. Use natural colors (gac, tomato, chili, carrot, reserved, sour hibiscus, turmeric, pineapple pineapple .). Natural pigments in addition to coloring them have antioxidant properties that are good for health.

Nguyen Anh Thu
Director of Rosa Culinary Training Company