A research team from the University of Almería confirmed that: certain compounds plastic It is transferred to potatoes when cooked in the microwave in the plastic bag in which it is sold.. According to Europa Press, the results reveal for the first time that substances whose health effects are still unknown are formed ‘in situ’ during this process.
As explained in a statement by the Discover Foundation, Researchers analyzed packaged foods sold in supermarketsGoing through a series of processes that guarantee food safety. This includes plastic, which can melt or release harmful substances into food if not specially treated to withstand high temperatures.
Thus, to prevent possible negative effects, There are special containers designed to withstand cooking, such as those used for pre-cooked meals.. “However, we do not know all the possible transfers of chemicals that occur when heating packaged foods,” said researcher Francisco José Díaz Galiano.
It is consumed frequently
“We chose this food because it is a staple food and is generally consumed frequently. It also has a chemical composition that can interact differently with plastic materials,” Díaz Galiano said. said.
This first case study was carried out using a method that scientists call ‘undirected analysis’, meaning that they carry out chemical analytical tests without knowing exactly what they are looking for. This process included: comprehensive examination of samplesand allowed the researchers to detect all substances released during the cooking of potatoes in plastic containers.
So the experts first bought it from a local supermarket in Almería. Bags of potatoes whose packaging indicates that they are allowed to be cooked together. They then cooked them in different ways: crushed and whole, with and without bags. They used boiling distilled water and a microwave in its original container and in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Experts say that they cook the potatoes for the time specified on the product label according to the type of cooking, and they also analyze the uncooked potatoes.
They then used a substance called a mimetic, which is used in laboratory tests to represent or simulate the interaction between a material, such as food packaging, and real food. Experts used them to replicate the chemical interactions between packaging and potatoes and This will better understand how the plastic in the bags affects the molecular composition of cooked potatoes.. This method is widely used in the agri-food industry to determine the safety of packaging.
Finally, experts used an analytical technique called high resolution mass spectrometryIdentifying chemicals and compounds in a sample, in this case potatoes cooked in different ways.
Compound formation
In this way, experts A number of polymers (plastics) were detected that only transferred when the potatoes were cooked inside the bag in the microwave. Thus, they found an unknown compound consisting of two molecules, like two pieces of a puzzle.
One of these comes from maltose, a natural product.It is a sugar that is formed during the cooking of some foods and is potentially harmful due to its high glycemic index. In other words, consuming large amounts may affect blood sugar levels due to its rapid conversion to glucose.
On the other hand, The other molecule comes from a synthetic product that they have not yet identified.. Experts conclude that the compound was formed ‘in situ’ due to chemical reactions that occur in plastic and food when heated in the microwave. “Although we know how it is formed, we have not yet identified exactly what it is or where exactly this compound comes from. Since it is produced only in this way and partly consists of maltose, its health effects on the body are not clear,” explains Díaz. Galiano.
Reference work: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814623004697
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