Mung bean sprouts and soybean sprouts are common vegetables in life and are loved by people because they are rich in protein and vitamins. Moreover, it is not difficult to cultivate bean sprouts. We place soybean and mung bean seeds in a suitable humidity, temperature and dark environment, and after a period of time, they can grow into fresh and delicate sprouts.

It seems that bean sprouts are not poisonous. Why have people paid more and more attention to poisonous bean sprouts in recent years?

This involves processing technology issues. As the public's demand for delicious food is increasing day by day, there are also higher requirements for the appearance of bean sprouts. It is hoped that the hypocotyl for consumption will be white, tender and thick. However, it is difficult to achieve this with the traditional bean sprout production process, so some people began to resort to chemicals. However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Although the introduction of drugs has improved the appearance of bean sprouts, it has also brought safety issues.

Can bean sprouts still be eaten?

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What exactly is the legendary "poisonous bean sprouts"?

The so-called "toxic bean sprouts" are to add "rootless water" (i.e. 6-benzyladenine and other substances) during cultivation to produce rootless, white and tender bean sprouts. According to some popular articles on the Internet, eating it can cause premature puberty in children, physiological changes in women, and osteoporosis in the elderly. In severe cases, it may cause cancer in the body. ?In fact, are these bean sprouts really inedible? What is 6-benzyladenine?

If you want to know whether bean sprouts can be eaten, you must first find out what the additives are and whether they will cause discomfort after consumption.

6-Benzyladenine is also known as 2-benzylaminopurine, N-benzyladenosine, and n-butyl acrylate, referred to as 6-BA. Its relative molecular weight is 225.25, and its molecular formula is C12H11N5. It is a synthetic plant cytokinin, commonly used as a growth promoter for vegetables and fruit trees. It can promote cell division and growth, and has anti-aging and preservation effects. Configure it into an aqueous solution, which is often called "rootless bean sprouts". In fact, 6-BA is widely used in agriculture, fruit trees, horticulture and even crops, and has achieved good results in increasing production and preserving freshness. Moreover, according to our country's regulations, it can be used in the production of pollution-free fruits. In addition, there is another production accelerator for cultivating rootless bean sprouts: sodium 4-chlorophenoxyacetate, which is also used to regulate plant growth. The domestic trade names are Fangsusu and Baoguoling.

But some people have said that these two substances have been deleted from my country's food additive standards, which means that they are no longer used as food additives and their status has been changed to pesticides. This is true, however, it is important to note that the reason for their removal is that they do not meet the process necessity requirements for food additives and are not a safety issue.

Not only my country, but also Japan, the United States, Europe and other countries allow the use of 6-BA and sodium 4-chlorophenoxyacetate in the production of bean sprouts. Japan, like my country, has stipulated residue limit values, while the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are all "exempt from ordering residue limits." If it is really harmful, why would the government ignore it?

Although it is harmless, please pay attention to the dosage when using it. Because excessive intake of this substance by the human body will irritate the skin and mucous membranes. Not only that, it will also damage the esophageal and gastric mucosa, causing nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.

From this point of view, rootless water is not inherently toxic, only excessive use will cause problems. Therefore, it is not scientific to call bean sprouts containing 6-BA "toxic bean sprouts".

However, in addition to bean sprouts grown in rootless water, some businesses also add other substances, such as bleach, which requires consumers to be more vigilant. The bleaching agent used in bean sprout production is mainly insurance powder. The chemical name of insurance powder is sodium hyposulfite, also known as sodium dithionite and sodium hyposulfite. In the textile industry, it is often used as a reducing agent for vat dyeing. Its restoration effect is evident. This substance has a strong bleaching effect. It has been medically proven that when the human body ingests 4g of low sodium sulfite, poisoning will occur. Therefore, this substance is strictly prohibited.

In addition, chemical fertilizers are also commonly used additives by unscrupulous vendors in the process of growing bean sprouts, such as uric acid, ammonium nitrate, etc. Adding chemical fertilizers can not only increase bean sprout yield but also shorten the cycle. However, the nitrate contained in bean sprouts sprayed with chemicals such as urea and ammonium nitrate will enter the human body and will be converted into carcinogenic nitrite after cell decomposition. This is a veritable poisonous bean sprout!

Therefore, to solve the problem of "poisonous bean sprouts", we cannot generalize. Only by familiarizing ourselves with the chemicals used and understanding them in a targeted manner can we distinguish right from wrong and protect ourselves from the persecution of "toxic bean sprouts". .

Give it a try at home~

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Author: Zhang Lianmin