Can fruit wax on fruit eat? The answer surprises your chin!
4hw.org: when many people go to the supermarket to buy fruit, they will find that the fruit on the shelf is bright and attractive. In fact, this is because the fruit merchant has painted a layer of fruit wax on the surface to make the fruit more attractive. Can we eat the fruit wax? Let's have a look at it together!
Fruit wax is the natural protective layer of fruit
Fruit wax is actually the natural protective layer of fruit, just like human skin can secrete oil to provide protection and moisturizing effect. In the process of growth, the peel will secrete a thin layer of natural wax composed of ester crystals, which not only has the waterproof effect, but also can reduce the evaporation of water by the sun, and also can prevent the invasion of insects and microorganisms.
Take apple as an example, its natural fruit wax is composed of dozens of components, mainly ursolic acid. It is insoluble in water and can cover apple with a waterproof protective film. If it is a grape, its epidermis usually has a layer of white material commonly known as fruit powder, that is, the wax film on the grape skin.
Therefore, no matter apple, pear or grape peel, there are natural fruit wax, and the amount of fruit wax will increase gradually with the growth of fruit.
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Why do apples need wax?
Generally speaking, apple wax can be divided into natural and artificial. The reason for adding another layer of artificial fruit wax is that after apple harvest, it will go through the cleaning steps in the factory first to remove the dust, impurities and pesticide residues on the surface, but this process will also wash out most of the fruit wax. In order to reduce the weight and brittleness of Apple due to water loss during transportation and storage in the future, and to keep its freshness and luster, many apples will be sprayed with a very small amount of artificial fruit wax.
Generally, the artificial wax on apple is natural edible carnauba wax or shellac, or a mixture of the two. In fact, they are not synthetic chemicals, and their ingredients are similar to those of natural fruit wax.
What should you pay attention to when cleaning fruit?
Fruits such as apples, pears and grapes can be eaten directly. No matter there is natural or artificial fruit wax, it can be eaten safely only by washing properly. It is suggested to use flowing water to clean the dust and other impurities on the surface of the fruit, and also to remove the water-soluble pesticides left on the peel.
At present, except for the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada and other countries are allowed to use artificial fruit wax containing emulsifier, because when the fruit is coated with fruit wax, a small amount of maparine can help the wax to fall and emulsify, so that the thin wax layer can be wrapped evenly. In fact, these substances do not pose a risk to health, because after spraying and solvent evaporation, only less than 1 microgram of mapulin is left on the peel, and it cannot be absorbed by the intestine when mixed in the fruit wax, so it is unnecessary to worry when eating the peel.
Although it is also suggested that salt, baking soda, flour or hot water should be used to clean the fruit, in fact, only water should be used to wash the peel, which is enough to wash the impurities on the peel and eat it safely.
This article is provided by the editor of Sihai life channel. To learn about life tips, please pay attention to Sihai life channel to make your life easier!