Sausage composition: what is harmful? Video
Sausage is part of the daily diet of most people. It is eaten for breakfast, served at the festive table, used as an ingredient in various dishes. Over the entire history of its existence, this product has undergone a large number of changes, and currently, the use of sausage can negatively affect health.
Sausage composition: what is harmful?
What sausage is made of
In modern sausages (sausages, doctor’s, liverwort, smoked, blood, raw smoked sausage and other types) there is very little meat. For example, in the 30-40s, this ingredient was about 98%, in the 70s – 95%, and now only 40%. A lot of other chemical and natural components were added to the sausage: – starch, – soy, – fiber, – water-retaining agents, – flavor and aroma enhancers, – flavoring agents, – dyes, – preservatives. squeeze it. If it is soft, it has a lot of vegetable protein, sausage with a normal meat content will be firmer.
Pork or poultry in sausage can be represented by thoroughly ground veins, skin, bones with a small amount of meat
In addition, the meat in the sausage may not be pork or beef, but kangaroo meat. Or the beef or pork may be old, expired. To “calculate” such a sausage, you need to look at its cut. Drops of fat will be released on a product made from old meat after a short time.
The reddish color of the sausage is not at all an indicator of the quality of the product. This shade is the result of the action of sodium nitrite, which is a chemical preservative and dye. Sausage without it has a grayish, rather unsightly hue, approximately like boiled meat. Sodium nitrite can harm the body: when exposed to temperature in contact with amino acids, it can form a carcinogen that is dangerous to health. In large quantities, it provokes cancer.
To check sausages for food coloring, pay attention to it when cooking. In this case, the salted water will turn pinkish. The pale color of the sausage indicates more “naturalness” than any defect or flaw in the manufacture.
During production, the mass of sausages can be overestimated due to moisture. This is achieved with plant fiber and the dietary supplement carrageenan (E407). These components absorb and retain water. The amount of moisture in sausage can be up to 30-40%. To make sure of this, weigh a piece of sausage on a scale, then leave it for a day in a dry and warm room. On the next weighing, a significant weight loss is detected as the moisture evaporates.
Fiber is usually added to sausages instead of soybeans. It is prepared from carrots, wheat, oats, lemon, beets, so it does not harm the body. The dietary supplement carrageenan can cause allergies in some people. Sausage with this additive shrinks when frying.
To reduce the amount of meat and reduce the cost of production, some manufacturers add large amounts of starch to the sausage along with flavor enhancers and flavorings. This sausage is rather brittle. If you drop a little iodine on it, after a while it will turn blue.
A sausage that tastes too salty indicates that it has an excess of sodium nitrite.
Thus, before buying sausages, it is worthwhile to think once again whether it is worth paying money for water and starch, at best, and at worst – to pay with your own health.