2010年11月25日星期四

罐裝鮪魚抽樣 3成標示不實

(法新社)2010年11月25日星期四 01:05

（法新社巴黎 24日電）根據一份基於基因分析的新報告，對十幾個國家的罐裝鮪魚進行檢驗後發現，30%標示有誤或有其他違規情事。

對50個品牌的抽樣檢查發現，某些同款產品含有不同種類的鮪魚，或同一罐頭內含兩種鮪魚，這在歐洲已屬違法。

例如一些罐頭標示為鰹魚，這種類似鮪魚的魚類富產於印度洋和太平洋，但同樣也含有數量正在衰退的大目鮪和黃鰭鮪。

這份由綠色和平組織（Greenpeace）委託進行的獨立報告，正好趕上將舉行至27日的「保護大西洋鮪魚國際委員會」（ICCAT）年度會議。

綠色和平組織負責推廣保護海洋活動的圖倫（NinaThuellen）說：「有些公司將多種鮪魚不加區分裝罐，包括數量正減少魚種的幼魚，而消費者還理所當然以為罐裝的是永續水產。」（譯者：中央社盧映孜）

2010年11月23日星期二

CRUDE OIL Found In Oysters at N.C. Restaurant: TOXIC GULF FOOD ALERT (Ob...

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2010年11月18日星期四

What are you & your kids eating....

Anatomy of a Chicken Nugget

posted by Megan, selected from Experience Life Nov 16, 2010 8:0

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From Experience Life

Ever wonder what goes into making a chicken nugget? And ever wonder why they’re so easy to eat (and eat and eat)? Here’s more than you probably wanted to know:

BITE-SIZE: Before breading, the gelatinous meat product is squeezed into a casing and cooked. After it cools, the casing is sliced into uniform nugget-sized discs, making them that much easier to pop into your mouth (no silverware required — and hey, those nuggets are so small, it’s like you’re hardly eating anything, right?).

“PRECHEWED” MEAT: Assorted pieces of chicken meat are finely chopped to free myofibrillar proteins that act as “glue” to bind the bits of meat together. Texture-enhancing binders (such as breading or powdered egg white) are added to help create a “gelling” effect that gives the nuggets shape. Flavors, natural and artificial, are mixed in. So are ingredients that hold in moisture, such as sodium phosphate, soy protein concentrate and autolyzed yeast extract. The net effect? A boneless, prechewed quality that produces a smooth and even bolus in your mouth and that invites overeating.

WHITE-ISH MEAT: It could be white meat — or it could be dark meat (about a third of the cost of white meat) that has been whitened with the use of whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. Although dark meat is often more flavorful, white meat apparently looks more uniform and more appealing to American eyes. As one industry document puts it, “American consumers have expressed a strong preference for poultry white meat over dark meat due to color. Turning dark meat into white could open new markets and revenue sources.”

CRUNCH FACTOR: The breading on a chicken nugget is mostly flour (but can also contain gums, starches, sugars and chemically derived flavors). It adds inexpensive heft to the nugget (up to 30 percent of its weight) and provides a material for the nugget’s crispy outside layer — a key factor in the sensory experience. The breading also provides an appealing, uniform color (some manufacturers add a caramel coloring agent to the nugget to enhance the golden, fried look) and toasty aroma. Finally, the breading provides a moisture barrier to prevent water loss, creating a moister interior that contributes to a satisfying mouthfeel.

FRIED TO A CRISP: The chicken nugget is dunked in a vat of hot, liquid fat (most often, a cheap vegetable oil such as soybean, sunflower or safflower oil — it depends on market price and availability), which causes the protein to denaturalize and the starch in the breading to become more gel-like. A crust forms on the nugget’s outer layer. During deep-frying, much of the nugget’s original water content is replaced with oil.

SWEET SAUCE: Most of the sauces served with chicken nuggets (barbecue, sweet and sour, etc.) have an array of added sugars in them. Others, like ranch and blue-cheese dressings, contain creamy dairy ingredients rich in natural sugars. This helps to create the fat-sugar-salt trio that renders so many processed foods irresistible. Although the ingredients of one popular restaurant chain’s ginger-citrus sauce sound relatively ordinary (sugar, hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, chili paste, modified food starch and orange juice concentrate), sugar and salt dominate. The dipping action produces new sensory elements — mixing cool with hot, crispy with creamy, savory with sweet, mellow with spicy, and so on.

2010年11月4日星期四