According to the "News Hyperlink" of the Voice of China of the Central Radio and Television Corporation, dyeing oranges is not a new thing, and in January, local reporters in Xi'an bought eight different kinds of oranges, two of which were found to be stained. The most recent problem in the Kunming market is also the sugar orange, which has detected carmine pigment on the peel.
Is carmine harmful to the human body?
Carmine is a synthetic colorant, belongs to the azo compound, the relevant independent scientific experiments have shown that carcinogenic, mutagenic effects and genetic toxicity, so it needs to be used within the specified range.
At present, countries around the world have established strict laws and regulations for synthetic pigments such as carmine. The United States, Canada, Norway and other countries prohibit the addition of carmine to food; while the CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission), the European Union, Japan, Russia and our country are allowed to use, but there are strict regulations on the scope and maximum use of carmine.
In China, the scope and limit of use of carmine in food should be strictly in accordance with the national standards, in accordance with the requirements of GB2760-2014 (food additive use standards).
Currently, carmine is not allowed in fresh fruit. As a food additive, carmine pigment can only be used in the production of some beverages, and must be used within the measurement range specified by relevant national standards.
Carmine has the effect of improving color, and applying the additive to fresh fruit may improve the appearance of fresh fruit, so some merchants have made this move.
How to tell if an orange is colored?
However, when the merchant who makes the violation applies carmine to the sugar orange, it is difficult to verify how much the dosage is, so it is not excluded that the dosage is far beyond the range that the human body can bear, which will inevitably affect human health.
In addition to carmine, there have been cases of unscrupulous traders using Sudan red or orange red 2 dyeing in the past, which are more dangerous. Sudan red is not a food additive, belongs to the chemical stain, has carcinogenicity, long-term excessive ingestion can lead to liver and kidney function damage, necrosis and even cancerous. Orange Red No. 2 belongs to class 2B carcinogens, and long-term intake will increase the risk of human carcinogens, especially for pregnant women, embryos and babies.
So how can consumers tell if oranges are colored?
Hou Xue, deputy director of the Institute of Agricultural Quality Standards and Testing Technology of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that from the appearance point of view, the peel color of mature sugar oranges is orange red or orange yellow, shiny, and the color is very good. Dyed oranges have an unnatural appearance color, and the "color" can be wiped off with hands and wipes.
In addition, the stems of heavily stained sugar oranges are also red, while the unstained fruit stalks are white and green.
Is Apple Waxing Compliant?
Is it compliant to add filters to fruit in addition to dyeing, but also to wax apples?
Hou Xue introduced that the wax on the peel of the fruit mainly has two forms. One is the natural sodium that the fruit will secrete during the growth process - fruit wax, which can effectively prevent the invasion of external microbial pesticides and other fruit pulp, play a protective role, and is harmless to the human body. The second is artificially added edible wax, such as carnauba wax. This is a liquid sodium made of natural colloids such as plastic, beeswax, shellac and other natural colloids from organic solvents.
GB2760-2014 (Standard for the Use of Food Additives) clearly stipulates that fresh fruits and raw fresh fruits can be waxed using carnauba wax, but not industrial wax.
If you suspect that an apple has been industrially waxed, the easiest thing to do is to peel it. If you prefer to eat the skin, it is recommended to rinse the dissolved wax with hot water or scrub the apple with table salt to remove the wax on the surface of the fruit.
Pigmentation should be added with caution
Food safety issues are not enough to rely on consumers to improve their ability to identify. Only by strengthening law enforcement and cracking down on illegal traders and using legal weapons can the harm of dyeing fruits be minimized.
Xiang Nan, a lawyer at Sichuan Chen Law Firm, said that according to China's food-related laws and regulations, those who have strict regulations for the use of pigments must be food-grade pigments.
There are relevant standards for the range of usage and the object of use. If non-standard pigments are illegally added to fruits and other foods, or even industrial dyes are added, the administrative department may impose corresponding administrative penalties on illegal traders, such as confiscating related goods for fines, revoking licenses, and detaining relevant responsible personnel. If the circumstances are serious, it may constitute the crime of producing and selling toxic and harmful food, which will be punished by a corresponding criminal penalty.
Whoever mixes toxic or harmful non-food raw materials into food produced and sold or sells food that is knowingly adulterated with toxic and harmful non-food raw materials shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than 5 years and shall also be fined; if he causes serious harm to human health or has other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 5 years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined; if he causes death or has other particularly serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years, life imprisonment or death, and shall also be fined or have his property confiscated.
Producer: Bai Zhonghua
Reporter from the Central Broadcasting Corporation: Fu Zhao
Editors: He Jia, Bi Liwei, Li Huijuan, Jiang Huan