There is a unique existence in the food industry, it is beautiful, smells fragrant, very likable, so it makes countless food processors fascinated, it is the pigment, almost all the processed foods we have seen have its participation. So, what exactly is a pigment? What kind of impact will it have on our bodies?
Classification and benefits of pigments
Substances that can give food color are collectively referred to as pigments, and pigments are divided into two categories, one is artificial pigments, and the other is natural pigments. The so-called artificial pigment refers to the pigment synthesized by chemical substances, and the natural pigment is the pigment that exists in the food itself in its original state.
As for the good of pigment, that is good-looking, Chinese eat pay attention to a color and fragrance, which is still ranked first. From this point of view, the contribution of pigments is not small, which can make food brightly colored and promote appetite.
The harm of pigments
First of all, we want to expose the nameless drink on the side of the road, it looks brightly colored, smells refreshing, can't help but want to drink a cup, in fact, it is just a combination of artificial pigments and flavors, which has no fruit ingredients, long-term drinking of these drinks, will cause great harm to the body, especially will affect the intellectual development of children.
Secondly, some canned food, such as canned yellow peach, we also look bright, that is actually the reason for the addition of lemon yellow, the color of the raw material is not so bright.
Finally, brightly colored dachshund is also added to the sake of pigmentation, these pigments are mainly composed of colorants and nitrites, for such dactum, if the use of pigment in the amount specified by the state, it is relatively safe, if excessive, long-term consumption will cause poisoning, especially nitrite, there will be a risk of carcinogenicity.
Harmful effects of pigments in children
The effects of pigments on children are mainly concentrated in two aspects, one is to inhibit brain development, and the other is to interfere with its normal metabolism.
Long-term food coloring can cause disorders in the nerve conduction of children's brains, and affect the detoxification function of the liver and the excretion function of the kidneys.
Not all pigments are bad
The so-called substances are classified, not all pigments are harmful to the human body, in fact, many natural pigments are not only harmless, but also beneficial to the body. For example, curcumin in mustard can play a role in lowering blood lipids, antioxidants and inhibiting tumor cells, while the beet red extracted from beets is widely used, like the red on the previous peach is beet red.
The above is the summary and induction of the pigment hazards in this article, and I hope it will be helpful to everyone.