"Pig blood" is not actually blood. "Artificial pig blood" endangers people's dining tables

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"Pig blood" is a common dish, a very cheap blood tonic, and has the effect of promoting bowel movements, so some citizens like to buy pig blood for consumption. Recently, Ms. Hu, a citizen, told reporters that the pieces of pig blood she bought on her way home from get off work looked smooth and flexible, bright in color, and did not smell bloody. Ms. Hu was worried that she had bought fake pig blood. In this regard, the reporter visited several supermarkets and vegetable markets in the city.

Reporter's observation: Pig blood smells strange, bright and tough

On the morning of October 15, the reporter came to the Bubugao Supermarket on Changqing Street, but did not find pig blood for sale at the meat counter. "Basically, there is no pig blood for sale in supermarkets now. If you want to buy it, go to the vegetable market." The supermarket salesperson told the reporter, but did not give a clear explanation as to why it was not sold.

Later, the reporter came to Zhongxing Market and found that some stalls were selling pig blood in a basin or a bucket. Some stalls used brightly colored water to soak the pig blood, which gave off an unpleasant and strange smell, but did not have the fishy smell of normal pig blood. The price of these pig bloods was relatively cheap, generally 1.5 to 2 yuan per piece. The reporter randomly came to a stall, and the aunt selling pig blood told the reporter that her stall directly received the pig blood from the butcher and processed it herself. When the reporter asked why the color of the pig blood was so bright, the boss told the reporter that she had just brought it over, and it was probably just made, and the color would not be so bright after a while.

The reporter cut the pig blood bought from the stall and found that the originally fragile pig blood was like "jelly" when cut. The inside was smooth and flat, delicate and without holes. After washing with water, it became firm, tough, elastic, and without any fragments.

"Artificial pig blood": 90% of pig blood is added, and the seller never eats it

Why does this "pig blood" not look like pig blood? Mr. Cai, who has been setting up stalls in the market for many years, revealed the secret to the reporter. "This pig blood is basically artificial, 10% pig blood, and the other 90% is cornstarch, formaldehyde, dyes, industrial salt, etc. 10 kilograms of original pig blood can be mixed to make 100 kilograms of bright red "pig blood" to sell. Those who sell pig blood never eat pig blood." Mr. Cai said, "Artificial pig blood" also has the obvious characteristics of fresh pig blood such as bubbles, making it difficult to distinguish, and some of the "Maoxuewang" sold in restaurants are also processed with "artificial pig blood".

The reporter checked the processing procedures of "artificial pig blood" on the Internet through his mobile phone: first add cornstarch to a small amount of pig blood and stir it, then add industrial salt and formaldehyde to make it coagulate, and then add dye to ensure that the color is the same as real pig blood. After it coagulates, put it into a large pot and simmer it over low heat. After the pig blood forms blocks, put it into a bathtub to cool, and then cut it into blocks and sell it as fresh pig blood.

Afterwards, the reporter called the Municipal Health Supervision Office to inquire, and a staff member told the reporter that due to the crude production process of bulk pig blood, there are often irregular blood collection processes. For example, in many links such as inspection, bloodletting, operator hygiene, ambient temperature, bloodletting knives, containers, etc., if the conditions for producing edible pig blood are not met, it is easy for the pig blood to be contaminated. In the absence of supervision, it is not ruled out that in order to increase production and make a small amount of raw blood more but not too thin, producers will add chemical agents such as formalin and formaldehyde during the manufacturing process. In response to the problems raised by the reporter, the staff member said that they will work with relevant departments to investigate and rectify "artificial pig blood" to ensure food safety.

Warm reminder: "Artificial pig blood" is harmful to the public and needs to be carefully identified

What harm does "artificial pig blood" made from a small amount of pig blood, cornstarch, formaldehyde, dyes, industrial salt, etc. do to the human body?

It is understood that formaldehyde is a highly toxic substance and ranks second on my country's priority list of toxic chemicals. Formaldehyde has been identified by the World Health Organization as a carcinogen and teratogen, a recognized source of allergic reactions, and one of the potential strong mutagens.

Industrial salt often contains nitrites and other substances. Large intake of nitrites can cause hypoxia in the body and can also be converted into nitrosamines, a strong carcinogen.

Since fake pig blood usually requires the addition of a large amount of pigment, if non-edible pigments are used, their toxicity is self-evident; if edible pigments are used, when added in large quantities, there will also be safety issues. For example, large amounts of amaranth red can cause calcification of the pelvis and kidneys.

Related link: Teach you how to distinguish real and fake pig blood

Just look at the color: fake pig blood is very bright in color; while real pig blood is dark red in color.

Second, touch it with your hands: fake pig blood is more flexible and will not break; while real pig blood is rougher and easily broken.

Third, look at the cross-section: after the fake pig blood is cut, no pores can be seen; if the cross-section is rough and has irregular small holes, it means it is real pig blood.

4. Smell: Real pig blood has a faint fishy smell; if you can't smell any fishy smell, it may be fake.

Five ways to identify the taste: real pig blood tastes a bit sticky; fake pig blood does not taste sticky.