Recently, the so-called handmade and additive-free foods have become increasingly scarce. Private houses and handmade foods-these brands seem to be possessed by a halo, giving ordinary foods an extraordinary origin. Is pure nature really that good? No additives equals health? Whether it's really magical or really deceptive, let's listen to science.

Pure natural ≠ nutrition is untested or contains harmful substances.

Many people think that handmade food is basically pure natural ingredients, and pure natural ingredients are good. Is that really the case? The answer is: not necessarily.

Chen Fang, a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University, said: "Pure natural ingredients only meet the traditional requirements of consumers and may taste better, but their nutritional components are not richer than those after artificial breeding, planting and processing." She believes that excessive pursuit of "nature" cannot absorb more nutrition. For example, some mothers are worried about the safety of milk powder and consider choosing more "natural" fresh milk for their children, but in fact, for fresh milk, unsaturated fatty acids are used instead of saturated fatty acids in formula milk powder, and the protein structure is more scientific and more conducive to absorption. "Infant milk powder can meet the normal needs of human physiological activities by properly adding nutritional fortifiers such as taurine, multivitamins, amino acids and mineral elements, which can ensure that infants can obtain reasonable and balanced nutrition at all stages of growth and development." Chen Fang explained.

In addition to nutrition, hand-made food may also contain some toxic and harmful substances because it has not been tested. Chen Fang gave an example of pressing peanut oil by indigenous method: because there are few refining steps, that kind of peanut oil smells particularly fragrant, but the possibility of aflatoxin exceeding the standard is also great. Peanut oil processed by regular enterprises has strict control measures from raw materials, plus processing and testing technical standards, and there are many links of control, so the quality is more guaranteed.

Fan Zhihong, a popular science expert and an associate professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University, once said that "traditional techniques" in some areas are inherently unsafe, such as making preserved eggs with lead-containing ingredients, treating rice noodles and zongzi with borax, popcorn with a small converter containing lead, and smoking preserved fruits with sulfur. These are all "traditional skills" since ancient times.

It is safer if it is not added, it is easy to rot and deteriorate, and the quality is difficult to guarantee.

The "no addition" of handmade food seems to be less reliable than it seems.

When talking about whether it is safer not to add, Chen Fang directly denied it. She explained the concept of food additives in detail: additives are chemical synthetic or natural substances added to food to improve the quality, color and fragrance of food and meet the needs of preservation and processing technology. Food additives are diverse and powerful, which can not only meet the needs of processing technology, but also extend the shelf life of food; Reduce food spoilage, prevent food-borne diseases, meet the needs of taste or nutrition, and form better color and fragrance.

China's national standard GB2760 "Hygienic standard for the use of food additives" clearly stipulates the allowable use scope and limit of various food additives. This is a scientific standard formulated with reference to international standards and the eating habits of consumers in China, and with full consideration of no harm to human health. Therefore, it is reasonable and appropriate to make