Four batches of old ham and bean skin detected with food additive use problems

　　Among the unqualified food products, four batches were detected with problems in the use of food additives. Of these, two batches were found to have aluminium residues (dry samples, in Al) that did not meet the national food safety standards: home-made doughnuts from the Li Tian Ming Ze Hotel in Juno; and bean skins sold by Wenshang Wenru Branch of Jining Ginza Mall Co.

　　Food additives containing aluminium, such as potassium aluminium sulphate (also known as potassium alum) and ammonium aluminium sulphate (also known as ammonium alum), are used as bulking agents and stabilisers in food and can produce aluminium residues after use.

The National Standard for Food Safety Food Additive Use Standard (GB 2760-2014) stipulates that the maximum residue limit value of aluminium in fried pasta products and bean products (dry samples, in Al) is 100mg/kg.

　　There were also two batches of: mung bean pie (pastry) sold by Lao Yang Qiao Store of Shandong Aikido Trade Co., Ltd. and the sum of the ratio of the respective amounts of dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt (in terms of dehydroacetic acid) and preservatives used in combination to their maximum use amounts did not comply with the national food safety standards; the old ham sold by Longkou Song Yun Yuan Store of Yantai Jiayue Supermarket Co.

The sum of the ratio of the respective amounts of sorbic acid and its potassium salt (in terms of sorbic acid) and the preservative used in combination to their maximum amounts did not comply with the national food safety standards.

　　Dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt, as a broad-spectrum food preservative, has a high inhibitory capacity against moulds and yeasts.

The National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) stipulates that the maximum use level of dehydroacetic acid and its sodium salt (in terms of dehydroacetic acid) in cakes is 0.5g/kg.

It could also be due to the high content of this additive in the compounded additives used, or the inaccurate measurement during the addition process.

　　Sorbic acid and its potassium salts are widely used as food preservatives due to their strong antibacterial properties and good preservative effect. The National Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) stipulates that the maximum amount of sorbic acid and its potassium salt (in terms of sorbic acid) in cooked meat products is 0.075 g/kg.

The excessive use of sorbic acid and its potassium salt (in sorbic acid) in smoked sausages and ham (cooked meat products) may be due to the use of the product in excess of the limit in order to extend the shelf life of the product or to compensate for the poor hygienic conditions during the production process.

　　Preservatives are common food additives that are natural or synthetic chemical ingredients used to delay or inhibit the spoilage of food caused by microorganisms. The National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) states that the sum of the respective dosages of preservatives in a mixture should not exceed 1.

The reason for the exceedance of the sum of the respective dosages of preservatives in a mixture may be that the manufacturer did not The amount of each preservative was not strictly controlled by the manufacturer during production and processing.