According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, former staff of the Institute of Science and Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, borax was previously used in food technology because it could keep food fresh for a long time, prevent spoilage, and at the same time help increase flexibility.
People often add borax to cook banh duc to make it firm, or add it to rice rolls and vermicelli to make it chewier and tastier.
However, over time, experts have found that borax is a toxic chemical that can have long-term health effects and can cause dementia. Therefore, Vietnam has banned the use of borax in food production and processing in any quantity or method.
In fact, many business people still add borax as an additive to food to make the dish more delicious.
Using turmeric paper is also a way to identify ham containing borax. (Illustration photo)
Here are some tips to help detect ham containing borax.
Visual observation
When cut, good ham must be smooth and moist, with some porous holes on the surface. These are the ham slices made from good meat, ground to a sticky consistency, and covered with a layer of air. When boiled or steamed, the air bursts, creating a porous surface. When cut, the inside of the ham must be a characteristic ivory white color that is slightly pinkish.
If the ham feels crumbly when cut and the surface of the ham is not porous, it is likely mixed with flour or made from meat that is not of guaranteed quality. If the ham is crispy, chewy, and unusually smooth, it is likely mixed with borax. It is best not to buy this type of ham to avoid ingesting toxic chemicals into the body.
Experts say that borax does not affect the color of the ham, so it is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
Taste
Delicious ham has a distinctive flavor. After swallowing, the taste lingers in the throat with a sweet, soft aroma, no residue, no dry feeling. If you eat ham and find it has a strong, fragrant smell, you need to be careful because it is very possible that it is ham marinated with additives.
Use turmeric paper
This method only tests qualitatively, not quantitatively. You use paper soaked in fresh turmeric water and let it dry, press it on the surface of the ham. After a minute, if you see the paper change color from yellow to orange-red, then that ham contains borax.
Experts recommend that regularly eating ham and sausage containing borax can easily lead to chronic poisoning, liver failure, kidney failure, anorexia, pale skin, physical weakness, testicular atrophy, and infertility. Pregnant women who eat ham and sausage containing borax can easily cause fetal poisoning. To ensure your health, you can make ham and sausage yourself or order it from reputable establishments with specific labels.
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