Hàn the, a harmful substance to human health, is still used by sausage manufacturers as an additive. In the context of increasing demand for sausages to decorate the family meal during Tet holidays, many sausage production facilities have appeared, often using harmful additives. If you are looking for ways to identify sausages that may contain borax and do not have time to make sausage at home, here are some suggestions to help you do that.
What is Borax?
Borax is the name for minerals or chemical compounds that are similar to borax, called Borac in chemistry. Borax has mild antibacterial properties, making products like fish sausage, sausage, and silk sausage become chewy and delicious, so it is often added by sausage processing facilities, fried fish balls… into food to make processed products chewy and prolong preservation and use time.
Borax has been listed by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam as a banned chemical for use as a food additive. It seems harmless, yet borax can cause poisoning. A dosage of 5 grams or more can cause acute poisoning, even death.
A low dose can cause chronic poisoning, affecting the liver, kidneys, causing loss of appetite and physical weakness. When it enters the body, borax is difficult to excrete and accumulates in the liver, until the amount of accumulation is large enough to cause chronic harm.
How to identify sausages that contain borax
Identify by sense of smell
Clean sausages usually have a mild smell of meat, not as strong smelling as silk sausages containing borax. A foul smell, dry wrapping leaves, sticky or mold symptoms are signs of poor sausages. Check by sight:
Tasty silk sausages have an ivory white color with a pink shade, with holes on the surface created by delicious lean meat. If the sausage does not have holes or has abnormal expressions, it may be due to the use of too much flour and low-quality meat.
Identify by taste
Bland sausages, without any aroma, and without holes on the surface may be a sign of using too much flour. Abnormally crispy, chewy, and smooth sausages may be a sign of mixing with borax during the processing.
Use turmeric paper
Borax is an alkaline substance, when in contact with turmeric paper, it will turn red. Use turmeric paper to gently press on the surface of the sausage, if the turmeric paper turns red, it is likely that the sausage contains borax. These methods help you easily identify sausages that contain borax, ensuring the safety of your health when choosing products.
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