"Mom, put this oyster sauce back in the refrigerator after use, you can't put it indoors directly, it will spoil. ”
"Isn't this all spices, and you need extra storage?
However, it was such a small health problem that made a huge change in her life.
Recently, Aunt Liu feels that her spirit is getting worse and worse, she has to work hard to do anything, and her appetite has decreased significantly. For this reason, she went to the hospital for a check-up, but the doctor did not prescribe the medicine as usual, but told her an extremely shocking answer: stomach cancer.
After the doctor learned about her daily habits, he said in a serious way that the placement of oyster sauce may have subtly induced cancer. She wondered why oyster sauce was linked to cancer.
1. Why do many people dare not eat oyster sauce, is it really carcinogenic?
There have been rumors on the Internet that oyster sauce causes cancer, and people were once panicked, so is there any scientific basis for this statement?
In fact, oyster sauce itself does not contain carcinogens, but it contains a certain amount of monosodium glutamate, which will form a carcinogen of sodium pyroglutamate when heated, so it is said that oyster sauce is carcinogenic.
But in fact, the monosodium glutamate in oyster sauce is a freshness enhancer, although it does produce sodium pyroglutamate at high temperatures, but this substance is not carcinogenic, but it will only detract from the flavor of the dish.
In fact, the real health threat of oyster sauce is related to the way it is stored, and when stored at room temperature for a long time, oyster sauce is prone to oxidative decomposition, leading to the reproduction of harmful microorganisms, such as aflatoxin, which is the greatest threat to human cancer.
In addition, many people like to buy oyster sauce packaged in a press-type nozzle, although it is easy to use, but each pressing process will increase the contact between the oyster sauce and the air, and speed up the oxidation reaction of the oyster sauce. This device is also prone to oyster sauce residue, which can also cause mildew over time.
Therefore, it is best to choose the design of the screw cap when choosing oyster sauce. If the usage rate is not high, it is best to choose a small size of oyster sauce to reduce the use time after opening the lid for too long, and it is best to store it in the refrigerator (0-4°C) for normal storage, and it is recommended to consume it within 3 months.
2. These two common "back-pot-bearer" seasonings are not carcinogenic
In addition to oyster sauce, there are many other rumors about the carcinogenicity of spices, but most of them are rumors, especially the following two common spices are also often labelled as carcinogenic:
1. Monosodium glutamate
The term "cancer" is actually similar to oyster sauce because it contains monosodium glutamate. However, this statement has been debunked by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other authoritative institutions, and many studies have confirmed that monosodium glutamate is a harmless food additive.
2. Garlic
Garlic is actually carcinogenic because some people say that when garlic is boiled in a pot, it will produce acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance. Although acrylamide is a 2A class carcinogen, there is no relevant research to confirm whether it is harmful to humans, and it is not correct to talk about toxicity regardless of the dose, if you want to eat garlic to achieve carcinogenic effect, you have to eat about 45 kilograms of garlic at one time, so the two cloves of garlic in the stir-fry are not afraid at all.
Third, if these seasonings are not eaten correctly, many people don't know!
In life, there are many condiments that have some health hazards, and these condiments really can't be used indiscriminately.
1. Prepare soy sauce
In 2021, the Municipal Administration of Supervision issued a relevant notice, stating that the prepared soy sauce is contaminated with chloropropanol, which may cause human poisoning and even cancer, and prohibits any enterprise from producing and selling "prepared soy sauce" products.
2. Fish sauce
During the fermentation process of fish sauce, ethyl acetate will be produced, which will irritate the human nose and throat, and may cause damage to the liver and kidneys in the long run. In addition, the production process of fish sauce may also contain a certain amount of harmful substances such as nitrite, white ground dew, and Aspergillus flavus.
3. Self-pressed oil
Many people like to use their own drying raw materials to go to the workshop to process and extract oil, first of all, whether the raw materials are fresh or not, and whether there is a deterioration reaction, can not be determined. If moldy and deteriorated materials are used, aflatoxin may be mixed into the oil, and the human body will also be very harmful to the body after ingestion. Secondly, the supervision of the environment and equipment of the small workshop is not in place, and there may be certain health problems.
4. Salt & refined sugar
Excessive salt intake can also cause damage to the gastric mucosa, and many risks of gastritis, gastric ulcers and even stomach cancer are related to excessive salt intake. Refined sugar is extremely pure, and long-term intake increases the body's pancreatic islet resistance, affects its own endocrine balance, and causes obesity, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and other threats.
Extension: How to store the commonly used condiments in the kitchen?
In addition, in fact, many commonly used condiments in the kitchen will also lead to deterioration and even harmful ingredients due to improper storage, so how to maintain different condiments?
(1) After these condiments are opened, they should be stored in a dry place at room temperature
• For example, common dry condiments such as five-spice powder and fennel have been dehydrated and have less microbial content, so they can be placed in a cool and dry environment.
• Condiments such as soy sauce with high salt content cannot survive in an environment with high concentrations of sodium and chloride ions, and cannot reproduce themselves due to insufficient moisture, so they can be stored at room temperature.
• Condiments such as white vinegar and red vinegar with strong acidity can be stored at room temperature because of the low pH value and the inability of microorganisms to survive.
(2) After the lid is opened, these condiments should be placed in the refrigerator for refrigeration
• Fermented condiments, such as fermented bean curd, tempeh, etc., because the production process of these things will inevitably introduce production strains, with the extension of use time and changes in room temperature, the microorganisms in them will also proliferate in large quantities and deteriorate.
• Condiments containing eggs, milk, vegetables and fruits, such as mayonnaise, peanut butter, salad dressing, etc., will become more serious with the higher the ambient temperature or longer the storage time after opening. And the nutrients in it will continue to be lost, and the flavor will be greatly reduced. Coupled with the fact that these products contain high levels of fats, room temperature may lead to fat oxidation reactions and destruction of fat-soluble vitamins.
Therefore, after the condiment is opened, it should be stored in a low temperature environment as soon as possible, pay attention to the sealing, and the use time should not be too long, it is recommended to buy it on demand to reduce the risk of deterioration caused by long-term storage.
Resources:
[1] "Popular Science | Why do many people dare not eat oyster sauce, and does oyster sauce really cause cancer?》.Chinese Journal of Food and Drug Administration.2022-08-09.
[2] "Have you put your oyster sauce in the refrigerator?These seasonings at home are not eaten correctly, and they will hurt your body!", Henan CDC.2023-11-26.
[3] "Terrible! Oyster sauce can cause cancer, must not be eaten?Many people don't know about it...".Popular Science China.2021-10-30.
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