Can Cabbage be Sprayed with Formaldehyde to Keep it Fresh? Will Eating it Cause Leukemia?

As the saying goes, "Chinese cabbage is a treasure, better than Ganoderma lucidum." For Chinese people, Chinese cabbage is undoubtedly one of the most friendly vegetables.

However, in recent years, there have always been some sensational headlines in the media that "the preservation of cabbage depends on formaldehyde" and "eating formaldehyde-containing cabbage will lead to leukemia"... Is this true?

1. Is it necessary to spray formaldehyde to keep cabbage fresh?

Formaldehyde is indeed a fungicide with antiseptic, bactericidal and stabilizing effects. But for locally produced cabbage, it can be sold directly, and no special preservation is required at all. For cabbage that needs long-distance transportation, cold storage pre-cooling, ice cube cooling, and refrigerated truck transportation will be used to achieve the effect of low-temperature preservation.

Only in summer when the temperature is high, there may be very few merchants who are greedy and will use low-concentration formaldehyde solution to prolong the fresh-keeping period of cabbage.

According to GB 2760-2014 "National Food Safety Standard - Standard for the Use of Food Additives", formaldehyde itself is not a food raw material or food additive, and cannot be used in food and agricultural products. The use of formaldehyde to keep vegetables fresh is a violation and illegal act, and should be severely cracked down.

Second, if cabbage is sprayed with formaldehyde, will it induce leukemia?

The researchers conducted a simulation experiment on the cabbage sprayed with formaldehyde, and the results showed that compared with the cabbage that was not sprayed with formaldehyde, the browning speed of the cabbage roots with formaldehyde was slowed down, but the rot of the cabbage roots could not be prevented.

From the third day, the cabbage roots started to rot whether or not the formaldehyde was sprayed. In addition, because the volatilization speed of the formaldehyde solution is very fast, after one day of spraying, it has basically volatilized to a level that cannot be detected by the instrument.

Therefore, even if there are illegal traders spraying formaldehyde on cabbage for freshness, as long as the smell of formaldehyde is not smelled, it means that the formaldehyde has basically evaporated, and there is no great threat to health, and it will not induce leukemia.

3. How to identify whether the cabbage has been sprayed with formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is highly volatile and has a very pungent taste. Therefore, it is easy to identify whether the cabbage has been sprayed with formaldehyde. If you can't smell formaldehyde, it means that the cabbage has not been sprayed with formaldehyde, or even if it has been sprayed, it has basically evaporated. If you are still worried, you can peel off the outermost leaves of the Chinese cabbage, cut off the roots, and rinse with water several times.

In recent years, local governments have strengthened the overall supervision of the quality of cabbage. In the vegetable market and transportation, foreign mobile cabbage transportation vehicles have been comprehensively inspected. The phenomenon of formaldehyde cabbage has been rare, and consumers can eat it with confidence.