China Naming Network - Almanac query - What is the efficacy and harm of alum?

What is the efficacy and harm of alum?

I. Functions

1, pharmacological effects: antibacterial effect, astringent effect, braking effect, trichomonas vaginalis anti-effect, prothrombin effect, cholagogic effect and local stimulation effect.

2. Industrial application: fire extinguishing agent, expansion agent and buffer.

3. Daily use: it can be used to cook mung bean porridge, and can be used to prepare aluminum salts, paints, tanning materials, mordants, paper making, waterproofing agents, etc. Used for water purification.

Second, alum is harmful to human body.

Aluminum-containing food additives can be used in the processing of fried dough sticks, steamed bread, noodles, puffed food and other foods. Long-term consumption will do great harm to human body, especially to children's growth and intelligence.

Five departments, including the National Health Planning Commission, stipulated that from July 20 14/day, flour products such as steamed bread and cakes (except fried flour products, batter for hanging paste, wrapped flour and fried flour) could not be added with alum, and the main components of compound leavening agent (i.e. baking powder) were also the above two substances. In puffed food, it is no longer allowed to use any food additives containing aluminum.

Extended data:

Alum is banned as a food additive.

The National Health Planning Commission and other five departments stipulate that aluminum-containing leavening agents such as potassium aluminum sulfate and ammonium aluminum sulfate are not allowed to be added to flour products such as steamed bread and steamed cakes, commonly known as "alum" (except fried flour products, batter for hanging paste, wrapped powder and fried powder), and the main components of composite leavening agents (namely baking powder) are also the above two substances. In puffed food, it is no longer allowed to use any food additives containing aluminum.

The reason why this problem has been ignored for a long time is probably because our previous food safety supervision level is still very low, and even obvious illegal "food additives" such as melamine and clenbuterol exist in large quantities, let alone legal food additives; On the other hand, because we had a big problem with the regulatory concept of food additives before, we didn't really realize that using food additives as little as possible was not only "harmless to health" but also "really necessary".

Baidu encyclopedia-potassium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate