Formalin in food is one of the most popular topics in newspapers and magazines these days. Formalin is being used to keep food fresh for a long time. Formalin is not being used in vegetables, fruits, roots, fish and meat. But formalin is not a useful ingredient in food, but it is mainly used in various industries including dyes, plastics, textiles, preservation of various organs of the human body.
What we know as formalin is the soluble form of formaldehyde. A formaldehyde is present in nature in small amounts as a common compound and it is naturally found in some vegetables. So formalin or formaldehyde naturally present in food is not harmful for us. Because, its amount is very low and it is metabolized in our body which is excreted from the body through urine.
Now, only when formalin is applied to food as a chemical preservative from outside does it pose a danger to us. We all know more or less about the harmful side of this chemical. Not only through food, but also through breathing it can enter our body and cause harm. The effects of formalin cause severe damage to our eyes, nose, skin, kidneys, liver and other organs. In many cases it can result in death.
However, a recent study by the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BSFA) has come up with some startling information. In 2016, a workshop called National Workshop on Food Crop, Food Security and Sustainability was organized. The workshop discusses the various chemicals currently used in food in Bangladesh and the results of some related studies.
According to BSFA's research, the use of formalin in vegetables and fruits seems to be high, but in fact it is not very dangerous. The reason being that formalin used in fruits and vegetables cannot penetrate inside fruits and vegetables due to the cellulosic structure of their peels. Cellulose is a constituent of fruits and vegetables. And this ingredient acts as a preservative for fruits and vegetables as opposed to formalin. That is, the formalin used in fruits and vegetables is present in their skin and cannot penetrate the skin and enter the food. Formalin on the skin is removed by washing with plenty of water. Formalin is removed by washing with plenty of water.
On the other hand, there is a saying that formalin is used as a result of apples, malts and many more imported from abroad. Because these fruits stay fresh for a long time. This is not because of the use of formalin, but because the fruits are imported from far away and are covered with a paraffin wax coating. And the lining of this wax is not harmful, it does not harm the body. Moreover, if the lining is washed well with water, it will not remain. Due to this paraffin lining, the aqueous part of the fruit does not come out which makes the fruit indigestible for a long time.
Now one might think that if formalin cannot enter fruits and vegetables, then the results of the test on whether fruits and vegetables contain formalin at different times will come out. How does a formalin detector detect formalin? An FAO study found the answer. According to that study, the device used to detect formalin in our country does not actually detect formalin inside fruits or vegetables. Rather, it identifies the formalin produced from the fruit that is present in the atmosphere around the fruit at that moment. This is why formalin detectors show that formalin has been used in fruits and vegetables.
Formalin is removed by washing it several times with adequate water and boiling it during cooking
Formalin is also used in fish, meat and milk. Formalin applied to fruits and vegetables does not penetrate their skin structure, but meat or fish has no cellulosic structure. Eating meat or fish with this formalin can also enter our body. But will we stop eating fish, meat and milk to get rid of formalin?
As a result of cooking formalin used in milk (temperature 96 degrees Celsius) much of it evaporates and becomes inactive.
Of course not. Answered by John Ryder, Technical Adviser, FAO Food Safety Program. According to his commentary, formalin is removed by washing the food several times with adequate water before cooking and boiling it during cooking. As a result of cooking formalin used in food (temperature 96 degrees Celsius) much of it evaporates and becomes inactive. It is also possible to get rid of formalin used in milk in this way.
We know that formaldehyde exists naturally in food. The amount of this formaldehyde per kg has been published in a research paper by the Center for Food Safety. This amount is as follows:
1: Vegetables And Fruits:
Food Name Formaldehyde Amount (mg / kg) Apples 6.3-22.3 Bananas 18.3 Grapes 22.4 Pears 36.6-60 Rhythm 11.2 Watermelon 9.2 Cabbage 5.3 Cauliflower 26.9 Carrots. .8-10 Cucumber 2.3-3.8 Onion 11 Radish (White) 3.6-4.4 Potato 19.5 Tomato 5.8-13.3 Spinach 3.3-6.3 Beat 35
2: Meat:
Food Name Formaldehyde Amount (mg / kg) Beef 4.8 Sheep 4 Chicken 2.5-5.6
3: Milk and Dairy Products:
Food Name Formaldehyde Amount (mg / kg) Cow's milk <3.3 Goat's milk 1 Cheese <3.3
It is absolutely inappropriate to skip eating vegetables, fruits, fish-meat, milk etc. for fear of formalin. Because if we take proper precautions, formalin is going to our body in very small amount and whatever is going on is not able to harm the body at all. However, strict enforcement of the law is desirable to prevent the use of chemicals in food in the country.
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