As long as you have been in the kitchen, I am afraid that you will not know oyster sauce, right? Oyster sauce, like soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and other condiments, is an "inseparable" part of the kitchen. As one of the "most fresh products" in the kitchen, oyster sauce is really useful and where to move it. Even if someone doesn't know how to cook, just pour a few pumps of oyster sauce into the pot and it won't get in the way. But recently, the topic of "eating too much oyster sauce can cause cancer" has become a hot topic. Some people think that oyster sauce is the same as other condiments, and there is no need to "buckle it", while others think that eating too much oyster sauce will cause cancer, just like MSG should not be eaten too much. So in response to this situation, let's take everyone to analyze, should oyster sauce be eaten?
01
Basic ingredients of oyster sauce
First of all, we have to know what exactly we are eating? What is it made of? Therefore, to determine whether oyster sauce should be eaten or not, it depends on whether there are carcinogens in its ingredient list. The main ingredients of oyster sauce are water, oyster juice, brewed soy sauce, white sugar, edible salt, yeast extract, food additives and preservatives. The main structure is sodium glutamate, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid , potassium sorbate, potassium phthalate, sucralose, etc. Some people before food additives are well aware that they are very healthy ingredients. But for food additives, we are not very familiar with.
Sodium glutamate: It is a sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid that can react with ammonia, which can effectively reduce blood ammonia concentration, so it is widely used in medicine in addition to seasoning. However, the use of sodium glutamate should be moderate, because excessive use will not only cause high blood pressure, but also lead to endocrine imbalance and stimulate the brain.
Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate: This is a kind of preservative, which is found behind most food ingredients list. Because of its insoluble in water, odorless and tasteless properties, it basically plays a role in preventing food from rotting and maintaining food. The effect of the validity period. In addition to hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, potassium sorbate is also a preservative.
Xanthan Gum: It is a biological polysaccharide formed by fermentation of sugars. Due to its special structure, it has the functions of stabilizer, gel thickener, and emulsifier. Therefore, everyone will find that oyster sauce is mostly a viscous colloidal liquid, which is precisely due to the thickening and emulsification of xanthan gum.
Citric acid: It is an acidic flavoring agent, generally used in the fields of food, chemical industry, and medicine, and does not pose any harm to the human body.
So in terms of ingredients, oyster sauce does not cause cancer. However, some people say that sodium glutamate will produce sodium pyroglutamate after high temperature, and sodium pyroglutamate is one of the carcinogens. In fact, this kind of thinking is completely unfounded, because the formation conditions of sodium pyroglutamate are at a high temperature of 120 degrees, and the temperature of cooking is usually about 60-70 degrees, which does not constitute sodium pyroglutamate at all. formation conditions. And since 1980, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized that sodium glutamate is safe as one of the food additives. In 2020, China's National Health Commission and State Administration for Market Regulation have listed sodium glutamate as the national food safety standard of GB 1886.306-2020. So you don't need to believe the rumor that oyster sauce causes cancer.
02
If it is said that oyster sauce is harmful to the body, it may only be due to storage.
Many people don't care about the storage conditions on food labels: refrigerated. In fact, low temperature refrigeration of oyster sauce is the correct way. If it is winter, it is fine, but the weather is hot recently, and oyster sauce is easy to deteriorate when placed under high temperature conditions for a long time, resulting in the occurrence of aflatoxin and other harmful substances in the oyster sauce. Aflatoxin will appear in some moldy foods. increases the risk of cancer. Therefore, according to the storage conditions of oyster sauce, it is recommended that you put the used oyster sauce in the refrigerated space of the refrigerator.
In order to meet various needs, many merchants now launch small bottles of oyster sauce. Small bottles not only save space, but also shorten the use time. It is highly recommended for everyone to buy in the hot summer.
03
Oyster sauce not only does not harm the human body, but also has many benefits for the human body
Oyster sauce can not only season to meet the needs of people's appetite, but also contains many trace elements that are beneficial to the human body, the most abundant of which is zinc, the content of zinc in the human body is second only to iron, and zinc helps human growth. Development, metabolism and brain agility are a great spice for zinc-deficient people and developing children. In addition to trace elements, oyster sauce is also rich in a variety of amino acids. Amino acids can degrade excess cholesterol in the human body and have the effect of lowering blood pressure. It is also very suitable for patients with hypertension and heart disease. And there is taurine in oyster sauce, which can not only enhance human immunity, but also inhibit the secretion of cancer cells.
Although oyster sauce has many health benefits, it is not beneficial to eat too much. Eating too much oyster sauce will still increase blood pressure, because the human body needs a range of nutrients every day. Too much or too little will have an impact on the body. , everything is too much, so it is recommended that you give priority to moderation.
