Food preservative E241 is guaiac resin and is obtained industrially by dry distillation, tapping, alcohol extraction or boiling of the crushed wood of the heartwood of the bacaut tree growing in South America and the Caribbean.
Physico-chemical characteristics
Initially, during the production of guaiac resin, the substance comes out a red-brown hue. Further, this “semi-finished product” must be subjected to special processing, as a result of which the “tree of life” (as the original semi-finished product is called for strengthening many internal processes and functions of the human body) becomes a substance perfectly soluble in alcohol, acetone, alkaline solutions and ether.
Guaiac resin E241 is able to melt when a temperature of 85 degrees is reached. Upon receipt of an alcohol solution, the substance acquires a green or blue color, which can be used to determine the hemoglobin reaction. Due to the limited number of tests, the E241 food preservative is currently not used in the food industry, since its beneficial or harmful properties are not fully known.
Where to use
Subject to the dosage specially established for this substance, E241 is not dangerous when used for food purposes, however, in this context, this additive is not used at all. Surprising is the fact that, with absolute non-assimilation by the human body, guaiac resin can still begin to have an effect similar to poisons, with an overdose of any scale. That is why in many countries this substance is excluded from the food industry.
Guaiac resin is used in pharmacology, medicine and homeopathic developments. The substance plays an important role in cosmetology and in the production of vegetable fats.
Guaiac resin perfectly copes with many viral infections in the composition of creams and ointments for rheumatism and skin diseases, as well as in the form of suspensions to combat viruses of a different nature.
How does it affect the body
Studies, which were not enough, provide information today about the harmful effects of E241 guaiac resin on the human digestive system. Experts have found that a person can consume a maximum of 2,5 milligrams of this substance per 1 kilogram of its own body weight per day without harm to health. Among the indicators describing the conditionally permissible consumption framework, today there is also a level of 4 milliliters per kilogram.
It has been established that in large doses, E241 can act as a poison for the body. However, pharmacological preparations containing this substance cause stimulating, diuretic, balsamic, antiseptic and diaphoretic effects on the human body. As side effects when using this substance for any purpose, dry mouth, digestive system upset, colic, salivation occur. That is why, with existing inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract, it is strictly forbidden to use drugs with this substance. When used contrary to all warnings, guaiac resin can have unpredictable effects on the body, up to and including death.