Recent temperatures
What a word
cold
What food to say
Best matched with this season
That's not the hot pot
In everyone's "hot pot list"
In addition to a variety of meats and vegetables
Balls are also regulars in hot pot
Pee cow balls, fish balls, shrimp balls
…
It is this kind of food that many people love
Many people are confused
What are meatballs made of?
Are the beef balls full of beef?
What are the facts?
Today
Let's talk about it
Are the "beef balls" all beef?
Many people think that beef balls must be all beef, but this is not the case.
Beef balls are clearly marked in the ingredient list, which will contain a certain amount of pork, chicken, duck, some will also add fish, meat powder and other ingredients, beef in beef balls is not necessarily the most content.
So, meatballs should only contain meat, why are there other ingredients?
On this issue, the industry standard "SB/T 10379-2012 Quick-frozen Prepared Food" clearly stipulates:
For minced meat products containing chicken, pork, fish and shrimp, the content of pork, chicken, fish and shrimp should be ≥ 10%; and the content of crab meat, beef and mutton should be ≥8%.
The industry standard "Meatballs" (SB/T 10610-2011) stipulates that:
The meat content of poultry meatballs should account for the first place, and the meat content of aquatic products in the meatballs of aquatic products should account for the first place; this standard also grades the meat content in the meatballs, the ordinary level needs to have a meat content of ≥45%, the superior grade needs to contain ≥55% of the meat content, and the special grade needs to contain ≥ 65%.
The industry standard "Frozen Surimi Products" (SC/T 3701-2003) clearly stipulates:
The starch content in the product ≤ 15% (except for the starch content required for simulated crab meat≤10%), which does not specify the amount of surimi added. High-quality fish balls and shrimp balls, the label will generally indicate the content of fish (shrimp meat).
Therefore, meatballs, fish balls, and shrimp balls are not all meat, and may contain starch and some food additives that are allowed to be added.
Note that references here are food additives, not "illegal additives." As long as food additives are added and used in accordance with the provisions of the national standard, there is no over-range and over-limit addition behavior, and its safety can be fully assured.
There are possible health risks associated with eating meatballs regularly
1. High fat content
Compared with homemade meatballs, the meatballs sold on the market are mostly tender and delicate and full of meat aroma, which is inseparable from the fat content.
The ingredient list of general meatballs will be marked, there are beef fat, lard fat, chicken skin, shortening and other substances, and their position is relatively high (content).
The high fat content makes the balls delicious, and eating more will undoubtedly increase the risk of obesity, dyslipidemia and other problems.
2. High "sodium" content
Meatball foods on the market, sodium content is generally above 500mg/100g, often eat such meatballs, "sodium" exceeding the risk will increase, from a health point of view, there are more potential threats to the body (increased blood pressure, increased risk of calcium deficiency, etc.).
How to pick meatballs?
1. Choose prepackaged meatball foods
Relatively speaking, the meatballs produced by large brand merchants have a more perfect inspection and quarantine mechanism and more trustworthy label information, and it is not recommended to buy scattered handmade meatballs or "miscellaneous brand" foods sold by small traders and hawkers.
2, pay attention to the content of meat
Read food labels carefully and buy products with higher levels of beef, fish, and shrimp.
3. Pay attention to the composition of "meat"
In addition to the content of meat, the "composition of meat" is also crucial. Take the young people like to pee cow balls for example, some cow balls are not necessarily made of beef, the first few of the ingredient list are mostly chicken, pork and other ingredients, can be selected according to demand.
4, pay attention to calories and sodium content
Buy meatball food should pay attention to the energy (calorie) and sodium content in the "Nutrition Facts Table", from a health point of view, meatballs with low calories and low sodium content are healthier and can be preferred.
These three meatballs are not recommended for purchase
1, do not buy cheap meatballs sold on the street. Do not know its production information, the risk is higher.
2. Do not buy meatballs sold naked. The industry standard "Meatballs" implemented in 2011 clearly stipulates that in the sales process, meatballs should be equipped with refrigerated cabinets or freezers, and should not be sold naked. Meatballs sold naked have a higher risk of spoilage.
3. Circle of friends and personal sales of "handmade meatballs". There is no inspection and quarantine mechanism, and the safety risk is high.
In summary, no matter what kind of meat is made of balls, it is okay to taste occasionally, but be sure not to over-eat; pay attention to the quality of meatballs when purchasing, choose balls of higher quality, and taste health.
Expert of this article: Wang Silu, National Senior Food Inspector, Internal Auditor of HACCP Food System of the People's Republic of China
This article was reviewed by Shaowei Liu, Deputy Director and Professor of the Food and Drug Regulatory Research Center of East China University of Science and Technology