In addition to the "earth pit pickled cabbage" exposed in the 315 Gala, are there any other dangerous "earth-made foods"?

This year's 3.15 Gala exposed the chaos in the production of old-style pickled cabbage by Chaqi Caiye: some workers wore slippers, some were barefoot, stepped on the sauerkraut, and some even smoked while working, throwing their cigarette butts directly on the sauerkraut... The sauerkraut-making process was shocking.

Source | CCTV Finance

Netizens said that it was too disgusting and they would never dare to eat sauerkraut again!

Source | Weibo

The sauerkraut that is said to be made with traditional craftsmanship and fermented for a sufficient period of time is actually the "earth pit sauerkraut" pickled in an earth pit.

1. The harm of "earth pit pickled cabbage"

Regarding sauerkraut, people are generally concerned about the carcinogenicity of nitrite. Nitrite is a strong carcinogen that is easily found in pickled foods such as kimchi. According to reports, whether it is sauerkraut or kimchi, the nitrite content is highest 1-3 days after pickling, and the content during this period shows an increasing trend.

Generally speaking, starting from the third day, the oxygen in the kimchi jar will be depleted due to the reproduction of microorganisms, and the nitrate content in the vegetables will gradually decrease due to oxidation, so the nitrite in the kimchi will gradually decrease and tend to a relatively stable value. This process takes about 15 days.

In addition, the raw materials used in "Tukeng Pickled Cabbage" are not fresh, and the sanitary conditions are not guaranteed, which may cause infection with pathogenic bacteria during the production process. The harmful products produced by bacterial metabolism continue to accumulate, increasing the "toxicity" of the pickled cabbage.

Source | CCTV Finance

The risk of "earth pit pickled cabbage" also comes from the earth pit, where the soil may contain a variety of pollutants. Irrational use of fertilizers, discharge of wastewater, landfill of garbage, etc., can cause serious soil pollution. These pollutants then seep into the pickled cabbage in the earth pit, causing the risk index of pickled cabbage to rise sharply.

Source | CCTV 315 Gala

2. What other “traditional foods” are there?

Homemade stinky tofu

In some parts of my country, people have the habit of eating homemade fermented bean products, such as stinky tofu, fermented black beans, etc. The traditional way of making stinky tofu is to boil the tofu, divide it into several small pieces, put them in a container layer by layer, and then seal the container.

Source | TuChong Creative

These foods are easily contaminated by miscellaneous bacteria, and if contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, they can cause botulism poisoning.

Botulinum toxin is a neurotoxin, the most toxic of all known exotoxins. People can be poisoned after eating food containing the toxin. The clinical manifestations are mainly various paralysis and gastrointestinal symptoms. The harm is serious and the mortality rate is very high. The lethal dose for adults is 0.01 mg.

Clostridium botulinum can attach to fruits, vegetables and grains. Soy products (stinky tofu, fermented black beans) and flour products (fermented steamed bread, flour paste, etc.) can also be contaminated by this bacterium, but ham, sausage and canned food are the most susceptible to contamination. In the absence of oxygen, the bacteria can multiply in large numbers and produce highly toxic exotoxins.

Traditional method of pressing peanut oil

Some friends often buy homemade peanut oil squeezed by traditional methods, thinking that it is green, pollution-free, pollution-free, additive-free, original, and safe to eat. In fact, it is not the case. In fact, the safety hazards of peanut oil squeezed by traditional methods in small workshops are not new and have been repeatedly exposed by the media.

Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophytic fungus, which is often found in moldy grains, grain products and other moldy organic matter. Aflatoxin is a type of carcinogen recognized worldwide and is a highly toxic substance.

Its harmfulness lies in its damaging effect on human and animal liver tissues. In severe cases, it can cause liver cancer or even death. Peanuts are one of the crops that are easily contaminated by aflatoxin. When not dried in time or stored improperly, peanuts are very likely to be contaminated by Aspergillus flavus. The higher the temperature, the faster the growth of Aspergillus flavus. In a warm and humid environment, Aspergillus flavus is prone to produce aflatoxin.

In some small workshops, it is difficult to filter out moldy peanuts during the production process. Also, because the oil press is not cleaned for a long time or is not cleaned properly, the peanut oil squeezed out is prone to containing excessive aflatoxin B1.

Homemade sour soup

In 2020, a poisoning incident involving "sour soup" (a coarse noodle-like staple food made from fermented corn water mill) occurred in Jitong County, Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, causing the deaths of many people.

Source | Baidu Encyclopedia

After an epidemiological investigation and sampling and testing by the CDC, high concentrations of fumonisin were detected in corn flour and in the gastric juice of patients. It was preliminarily determined to be a food poisoning incident caused by fumonisin produced by contamination with Pseudomonas cereus.

Fermented rice flour food poisoning is the abbreviation of food poisoning caused by the fermented rice flour subspecies of Pseudomonas cerebrovenans. The fumonisin produced by the bacteria is the main cause of serious food poisoning and death. It is extremely heat-resistant, and even boiling it in 100℃ water or steaming it in a pressure cooker cannot destroy its toxicity. It can cause poisoning after eating, and can cause serious damage to important organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart, and brain.

In recent years, food poisoning incidents caused by the fermentation subspecies of Pseudomonas cerebrovenanthrene have rarely occurred. However, in areas where traditional eating habits are still maintained, poisoning incidents caused by fermented foods still occur from time to time. Currently, there is no specific antidote for fumonisin. Once poisoning occurs, the mortality rate is as high as 40%-100%.

3. How to avoid poisoning?

First, try to eat less food processed by traditional methods. For example, when buying peanut oil, choose products from companies with advanced production technology, standardized management, and guaranteed product quality. The products must have clear food name, specifications, and net content, and the "SC" logo on the label. The products must be well packaged and properly stored within the shelf life.

Secondly, you should also pay more attention during consumption. For fermented foods, it is best to fully heat them before consumption. If you see the packaging bag or lid bulging, you must not eat it. If you experience symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. after eating, you should go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

This article is compiled from: Guangming.com, Beijing News, Nanfang Daily, Science Popularization Henan