Secret Ingredients In Our Favorite Foods

Many of the foods that we enjoy are processed and packaged. This means that they go through the chain of production and several ingredients are added. Some of these ingredients are obtained from other companies. What we end up with often contains substances and ingredients that we may not be aware of; some of which can be harmful to consumers and others are just things that we wouldn’t ordinarily want to feed our bodies. Let’s take a look at the secret ingredients in five of our popular foods.\r \r 1. Gelatin\r \r We all love the squishy, giggly goodness of gummy bears, jello and marshmallows. Well, they all contain one key ingredient – gelatin. Gelatin is a colorless, flavorless ingredient that is often found in a powdered form that thickens and solidifies liquid and semi liquid foods. It may surprise you to know that gelatin is made from collagen taken from animal body parts. Animal protein is extracted by boiling the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and skin of animals such as pigs and cows. Gelatin therefore consists of high amounts of protein. So the next time you enjoy some food which contains gelatin, you now know what you’re having.\r \r 2. Worcestershire Sauce\r \r Worcestershire sauce is a sauce with a balanced combination of tangy, sweet, savory and salty flavors. It is used as a condiment or in marinating and cooking meat, poultry and fish. It may be surprising to know that anchovies are one of the ingredients in the sauce. Yes, anchovies, that tiny fish you hear about that are used on a pizza topping. Anchovies are allowed to ferment for one and a half years in wooden casts with vinegar. This gives the Worcestershire sauce its umami flavor.\r \r 3. Lunch Meat\r \r Lunch meat, also referred to as deli meat, cold cuts or luncheon meat, is the meat that is sold pre-cooked and sliced and can be used to prepare sandwiches for instance. They often contain high amounts of sodium and fat. What many people don’t know is that these meats are sprayed with viruses. Don’t be alarmed as these viruses called bacteriophages are bacteria killing viruses. The viruses used on the meat protect us against harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning.\r \r 4. Shredded Cheese\r \r Have you ever noticed that when you shred cheese at home it gets stuck together but the same doesn’t happen to the shredded cheese purchased in the store?  Well the answer lies in the anti-caking agent added to the shredded cheese by manufacturers. This agent is made from a kind of plant fiber called cellulose. The cellulose helps remove the moisture from the shredded cheese. The anti-caking blend is made of potato starch, cornstarch and calcium sulfate. It was once believed that the cellulose was actually wood pulp that had been crushed.\r \r 5. Food Dye\r \r Red food dye is used to give foods such as red velvet cake and candy their red color. Many of the red coloring used in food are natural and made from cochineal insects. These insects which are found on pear cacti are dried and ground up into a powder by manufacturers. When the powder is mixed with water it becomes bright red. This has been proven to be safe for consumption. There are other synthetic red dyes used in food made from petroleum for instance.