In my office, I often encounter patients with health problems caused by food. One day, an anxious mother came to my clinic with her child, who had severe symptoms of food poisoning: nausea, vomiting, and headache. After detailed inquiry, it was learned that the child's symptoms appeared after a family dinner. In the dinner party, cabbage is one of the main dishes on the table. Upon in-depth investigation, it was found that the cabbage had been sprayed with formaldehyde to keep it fresh and visual, an illegal act that turned an ordinary family meal into a health crisis.
As a frequent guest on our table, the freshness of cabbage is directly related to our health. However, there are some unscrupulous vendors in the market who use formaldehyde, a harmful substance, to treat cabbage in order to make it look more attractive. Formaldehyde not only irritates our respiratory tract, but long-term ingestion can also trigger more serious health problems.
Anomalies in appearance
When choosing cabbage, appearance is the most intuitive basis for judgment. Normal cabbage should show natural green or slightly yellow leaves, uniform color, and no unnatural luster. However, cabbage treated with formaldehyde often has an overly "perfect" appearance, an unusually bright color, and an unnatural sheen.
How to tell if cabbage is safe by looking at its leaf shine and color:
Check the color: Healthy cabbage should show pale green or yellowish leaves, too bright or an unnatural turquoise color may be a sign of chemical treatment. Avoid those cabbages that are unusually bright in color.
Observe the shine: Naturally growing cabbage leaves usually have a natural matte texture. If the surface of the cabbage leaves looks unusually smooth or greasy, it may be the result of formaldehyde or other chemical treatment.
Check the leaf edges: normal cabbage leaf edges may be slightly irregular or slightly dry, which is the norm during natural growth. Treated cabbage often has too neat edges and lacks signs of natural growth.
The smell is different
When it comes to identifying whether or not formaldehyde-treated cabbage has been used, odor is a key factor that should not be overlooked. Formaldehyde, as a commonly used preservative and disinfectant, has a very specific and pungent odor. In my medical clinics, I often remind my patients that it is a simple and effective way to tell the freshness and safety of ingredients by smell.
How is an olfactory test performed?
Sniff up close: Before buying, try getting close to the cabbage and taking a few deep breaths. Fresh cabbage should have a fresh, slightly earthy natural smell. If you smell a pungent or chemical odor, it could be a sign of formaldehyde or other chemicals.
Compare different batches of cabbage: If possible, compare the smell of cabbage from different batches or different stalls in the market. This contrast will help you identify unusual odors more accurately.
Pay attention to the persistence of the odor: After several consecutive sniffs, notice if the odor persists. The smell of formaldehyde usually does not dissipate easily, compared to the smell of natural vegetables, which usually fades after a few sniffs.
Changes in texture
Cabbage that has been treated with formaldehyde will often show some noticeable changes in texture that differ from naturally ripened cabbage. Formaldehyde is a chemical that is often used by unscrupulous businesses to keep vegetables fresh and make them look brighter, but it can also change the natural texture of vegetables.
First of all, we can identify whether formaldehyde has been treated by hand inspection. Naturally ripe cabbage leaves should be soft and easy to bend, while treated cabbage leaves will become unusually stiff and difficult to break due to formaldehyde. To perform this test, you can gently bend the cabbage leaf to see if it can easily bend without breaking. Natural cabbage leaves show some elasticity when bent, while treated cabbage may appear stiff or even break during bending.
In addition, the hardness of the texture is also an important point to observe. In terms of feel, untreated cabbage should be crisp and tender to the touch and easy to be pressed into by fingers, while the leaves of formaldehyde-treated cabbage will appear harder, difficult to press into with fingers, and even feel like touching a slight plastic texture.
Knowing these details, you can be more cautious when buying cabbage and avoid choosing those that have an unusually firm texture. Remember, a healthy diet starts with smart choices. Through these simple hand tests, you will not only be able to protect the health of yourself and your family, but also resist the bad behavior of unscrupulous traders and promote the improvement of the food safety environment.