People take food as the sky, food to safety first, food safety and quality issues have always been the focus of people's attention, whether in supermarkets or vegetable markets, people are more inclined to buy cost-effective food when buying ingredients, both low price and good quality.

We often say that fish and bear paws can not have both, especially in the purchase of food, the so-called cheap no good goods, if the price of food is much lower than the normal price, there must be cat greasy, such as the "formaldehyde cabbage" that once swept the vegetable market. ”

What is formaldehyde cabbage?

In fact, as early as a few years ago, there were problem cabbages sprayed with formaldehyde on the market. The high summer temperatures, coupled with the large moisture of cabbage, and the lack of refrigeration equipment required by many vegetable merchants in long-distance transportation, many cabbages will rot and rot during transportation.

In order to reduce economic losses, many vegetable merchants will use formaldehyde as a kind of "preservative" of cabbage, spraying formaldehyde on cabbage to preserve freshness, which not only maintains the freshness of cabbage, but also avoids the economic loss of vegetable merchants.

Formaldehyde is an extremely strong fungicide with antiseptic, sterile and stabilizing properties. The Chinese cabbage needs to be particularly fresh because the chinese cabbage that has been cut off from the roots is actually "alive", and the part that is picked is called the leaf bulb in agriculture, which is actually a complete plant with the roots removed, which is different from the leafy vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, or spinach.

This Cabbage, on the one hand, because it is in a cutting state, various enzymes and proteins are in direct contact with the air at the incision, and the physiological and biochemical activity is enhanced, which accelerates the aging and browning of the tissue;

On the other hand, at the cross-section of cabbage, a large amount of sap will ooze, rich in sugars and other nutrients, which become a hotbed for the reproduction of bacteria and fungi. Formaldehyde can inhibit bacteria, so to a certain extent, it can indeed keep cabbage fresh, so that cabbage is not so easy to rot.

Most of the cabbage sprayed with formaldehyde has these 3 characteristics, reminding the family: don't buy the wrong one

1. Pungent smell

Before buying cabbage, first of all, smell the taste of cabbage, fresh and high-quality cabbage, smell is a natural vegetable taste, there is no other odor, but if you find that cabbage has a pungent smell, be sure to be more vigilant.

Because the odor of formaldehyde is very irritating, after spraying it on the surface of cabbage, it will cause the odor of cabbage to change, and the more pungent the smell of cabbage, the more formaldehyde is sprayed.

2, the heart of the dish is rotten, the leaves are fresh

Under normal circumstances, cabbage can only be stored for 3 to 5 days, and then there will be a situation of withering and rotting of vegetable leaves, while the heart of the cabbage is still maintained in a fresh state, rotting in order from the outside in.

However, if the purchased cabbage is put for a week or so, the leaves are still very fresh, we must pay attention, because formaldehyde is mostly sprayed on the surface of the leaves in the form of spray when used, the more formaldehyde sprayed, the longer the cabbage is stored, and there will be an internal dish that has rotted and the outer leaves are still very fresh.

3, cabbage color change

Nowadays, there are two main varieties of cabbage on the market, one is yellow cabbage, one is green cabbage, if you find that the color of cabbage is white when buying cabbage, you must pay attention to it, it is likely to be sprayed with formaldehyde.

This is because under the action of formaldehyde, the cabbage will fade, so when buying cabbage at home, you must choose a color that is particularly yellow or green.

What should I do if I buy formaldehyde cabbage?

Formaldehyde is a protoplasmic poison that destroys the proteins of biological cells, which will cause damage to human skin, respiratory tract and internal organs, anesthetize people's central nervous system, and can cause pulmonary edema, liver coma, kidney failure and so on. The World Health Organization has recognized formaldehyde as a teratogenic and carcinogen, and long-term exposure will lead to genetic mutations.

So what should we do if we buy formaldehyde cabbage?

In this regard, experts said that formaldehyde is very soluble in water and volatile, after careful rinsing, there will be basically no large residue, we do not have to worry too much, you can rest assured to eat.

If you are really not at ease, you can peel off the outer layer of the skin of the vegetable, wash it several times with water, and then sprinkle a little salt to soak it, so that you can basically wash away the formaldehyde solution and impurities and pesticide residues.