It's New Year's New Year again soon!
Comrades are about to start preparing for the New Year again
It feels like each family buys a few boxes of fruit for the New Year.
Hualang asked everyone a question:
When I usually eat apples, have you ever experienced a case where a layer of white powder is scraped off with a knife scraping?
This is actually a layer of wax on the surface of the apple.
Of course, not only apples, but also other fruits will also be waxed.
What？ Isn't eating unpeeled fruit the same as eating candles?
Today, hualang gives everyone science popularization is whether this layer of wax of the fruit peel can be eaten in the end.
First of all, what is this wax?
Fruit waxing is not like "fake wine", "colored drinks" ah, ah, these fake foods.
After the fruit merchant has purchased it from the grower, waxing is normal and necessary.
Because most of the fruit is purchased, it is listed in its original state and will rot in less than a few days.
Moreover, like after the fruit is picked, its fresh peel itself will produce a kind of fruit wax, but it is very thin and does not play any role, but only temporarily avoids the loss of water of the fruit itself and the erosion of external microorganisms, which is a phenomenon of self-protection.
Of course, it is more common to wax by hand, the purpose of which is to preserve freshness.
Like some imported fruits, flying from the other side of the ocean, after long-distance transportation and storage, without waxing, it will not work in China. On the other hand, after waxing the fruit, it can maintain a bright color, which is more beautiful and sells better.
Paraffin oil is divided into industrial grade and food grade products.
Paraffin oil itself is a "mineral oil", a mixture obtained from the fractionation of crude oil, which is colorless and odorless, so it is difficult to distinguish directly.
Food grade paraffin oil is also an extract of natural waxes for animals and plants, and its safety has been evaluated.
China's 2011 edition of the "Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB2760-2011) stipulates that edible waxes that can be used on the surface of fruits include carnauba wax and morpholine fatty acid salt fruit wax.
The former is a natural plant wax extracted from palm leaves grown in northeastern Brazil, with a maximum use of 0.0004 g/kg on the surface of the fruit;
The latter is a fruit wax made of natural animal and plant waxes and water using morpholine fatty acid salts as emulsifiers, which can be applied to the surface of fruits such as citrus and apples to form a film.
Therefore, if the fruit is waxed in strict accordance with the relevant national standards, the safety is trustworthy.
Blackheart merchants generally choose inferior industrial paraffin oil with lower cost.
Industrial paraffin waxes contain heavy metals mercury and lead.
There is no doubt that they will cause great harm to the human body.
Mercury will enter the human body through the respiratory tract, skin or digestive tract, and excessive intake can easily induce mercury poisoning, on the one hand, it will damage the kidneys and induce diseases such as nephrotic syndrome. On the other hand, it can also cause damage to the nervous system.
Heavy metal lead can easily lead to anemia in the body after entering the human body, and excessive intake can easily lead to arteriosclerosis, peptic ulcers and other diseases.
It will be more harmful to children and may lead to problems such as growth retardation and loss of appetite.
In addition, for industrial paraffin oil, which contains more impurities, and even contains a strong carcinogen "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", which is easy to cause damage to many aspects such as cranial nerves and liver organs.
There are eager students to ask!
Peel off the peel and you're done! What is the purpose of so many fancy things in popular science?
Note that if it's an industrial wax, its harmful ingredients may penetrate the peel, and if so, even if you peel off the peel, it won't be foolproof.
How to distinguish between edible wax and industrial wax?
Generally speaking, the skin surface of the fruit smeared with edible wax will be thinner and brighter.
Industrial wax application, mostly by illegal personnel, the coating will be relatively thick.
In addition, industrial wax is colored, and if you rub it with a paper towel, the paper towel will be dyed.
If the color is particularly bright, it is best not to buy the fruit that will fade just by rubbing it with your hands.
To be on the safe side, you can wash the fruit with warm salt water and then peel it to eat it.
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