Roskontrol named brands of ketchup that are hazardous to health

A little history

According to some sources, ketchup dates back to 1830, when a New England farmer poured crushed tomatoes into a bottle and sold them that way.

Antioxidants from vegetables. The antioxidants found in tomatoes are destroyed when ketchup is made. Both folic acid, which is rich in leafy vegetables, and bioflavonoids are lost at high temperatures. Learn how to preserve antioxidants in vegetables.

This method of storing tomato sauce quickly gained popularity. By 1900, there were already about 100 different ketchup manufacturers in the United States alone.

Thanks to unusual, convenient packaging, ketchup began its journey around the planet. Nowadays it is impossible to imagine burgers, fries, or sausages in a bun without it.

Is ketchup healthy?

The main argument in favor of ketchup is still its key ingredient – ​​tomatoes.

The healthy berries contain the carotenoid lycopene, which gives tomatoes their bright red hue. This antioxidant reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and even improves sperm quality.

Unfortunately, the amount of lycopene in tomatoes processed for ketchup is low. So this myth about the benefits of ketchup remains a myth.

Another argument in favor of ketchup is its low calorie content and the presence of healthy fiber.

Indeed, a tablespoon of ketchup (15 g) contains only about 15 kcal. But most of them come from sugar, of which there are about four grams in this spoon.

But there are almost no proteins, fats and fiber in ketchup prepared using standard technology. As well as vitamins. For comparison, a slice of tomato of the same weight has five times fewer calories.

Ketchup composition

So, what does classic ketchup consist of? The composition is incredibly simple: water, spices and tomatoes. Tomato paste is the main ingredient of the sauce.

To prepare it, fresh tomatoes are crushed, heated and passed through a special sieve that sifts out the skins and grains.

The percentage of tomato paste is from 15 to 40% (depending on the class of ketchup - premium, extra, first and second category).

Cheap products are also richly supplied with potato starch, flour, gum, vinegar and citric acid, and these components are not always of natural origin. By the way, water can also be of different quality, and here you can only rely on the conscience of the manufacturer.

Pay attention to the consistency of the ketchup. It should not be greatly deformed or spread.

Choose a product without the E label and other harmful substances mentioned above.

It is also desirable that the product be manufactured in accordance with GOST, and not TU, because each manufacturer sets the so-called technical conditions for himself.

Remember that half a kilogram of ketchup cannot cost less than 50 rubles.

What else can be said about the dangers and benefits of ketchup?

? Of course, it is useful if it is of high quality and in moderation!

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Without a doubt, today there will be ketchup

is one of the most delicious and common sauces, which is added to cooking meat, hot dishes, snacks, salads and complex sauces consisting of several sauces.

This product contains a large number of natural ingredients, but it also contains a lot of preservatives, flavors, stabilizers and other harmful substances. Therefore, you should find out about the benefits and harms of ketchup for the human body. How often can it be consumed, and who is not recommended to add it to their diet?

The key to successful ketchup, which can truly be called natural, is that it contains the lowest possible concentration of chemical additives in the form of the previously mentioned preservatives, stabilizers and flavors.

If ketchup is prepared according to all the rules, then it contains most of the red ones and contains the pigment lycopene, thanks to which these vegetables are colored red.

• Contains lycopene.
  With the help of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant, ketchup prevents the manifestation of cardiovascular diseases, prevents the formation of malignant tumors and removes excess cholesterol from the body. In addition, unlike many vitamins, the amount of this pigment only increases when heated. So, by subjecting the tomatoes to heat treatment for 15 minutes, the amount of lycopene will become one and a half times greater.
• Ketchup is a good antidepressant that will quickly cheer you up.
  Only natural ketchups contain serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness, as well as tyramine, which, when ingested by the body, is converted over time into the hormone of happiness. Therefore, if you are under stress, it will not be superfluous to add a little ketchup to your food to lift your mood.
• Rich in vital vitamins and microelements, which are also not destroyed when exposed to heat.
  The basis of ketchup is B vitamins, vitamins K, P and PP, as well as ascorbic acid, which is no less than in citrus fruits. Natural ketchup also contains a lot of calcium, iron, potassium and phosphorus salts.

And other ingredients

We can talk about the relative “tomato value” of ketchup only if the manufacturer did not dilute the tomatoes that were used for its production with a concentrate from other vegetables.

In some cases, unscrupulous manufacturers completely replace vegetables with a cocktail of thickeners, dyes, flavorings and aromas.

Choosing a healthy sauce Despite the wild popularity of ketchup, Russian consumers often prefer mayonnaise. Unfortunately, neither ketchup nor mayonnaise are suitable for a healthy diet. You can read about alternatives - salad dressings and sauces - in the columns of our regular author Eva Punch.

Spices, which are often added to ketchup, are not harmful to health. Of course, if their taste is not enhanced by monosodium glutamate. This food additive is harmless in itself, but it causes addiction to those dishes that are seasoned with it.

Harm of ketchup to the body. Why can't you eat ketchup of questionable quality?

Ketchup is one of the most versatile sauces, which is indispensable in the preparation of many salads, appetizers, meats, and hot dishes. It is used as a seasoning for potatoes, pasta and cereals. Usually this vegetable sauce is not classified as a non-dietary product, so for many it becomes a discovery why ketchup is harmful.

Ketchup is different from ketchup

It's hard to find a person who has never tried ketchup. The classic recipe for this supplement demonstrates its health benefits: tomato paste, water and spices. But many manufacturers, especially of economy-class products, replace and/or “enrich” fresh tomatoes:

• fruit puree;
• thickeners;
• dyes;
• flavoring additives;
• preservatives.

The harm of ketchup lies precisely in these substances.

What should consumers of low-quality sauce be wary of?

It is useful for people who buy products without being interested in their composition to know why they should not eat inexpensive ketchup, which is full of chemical compounds. Flour and modified starch, which are added as a thickener to this sauce, lead to:

• obesity;
• metabolic disorders;

and high levels of glucose and fructose cause:

• heart and digestive problems;
• calcium deficiency in the body;
• diabetes.

But these are not the main “side effects” of additional ketchup ingredients. Frequent use of preservatives, acidity regulators and stabilizers is fraught with:

• the appearance of malignant tumors;
• toxic liver damage;
• inflammatory process of the pancreas (pancreatitis);
• gastritis, ulcers, heartburn, dysbacteriosis;
• male infertility.

Emulsifiers are also carcinogenic and cause:

• cancer;
• liver diseases;
• digestive disorders;
• inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis).

Dyes cause:

• allergic reactions;
• pathologies of the nervous system (excitability, mood swings, low concentration).

Flavor enhancers are also very aggressive for the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, and in addition they violate:

• brain activity;
• vision;
• significantly increase appetite,
• cause dependence on the product.

So, try to use only natural ketchup. The harm to the body from sauces with synthetic ingredients can be very significant.

Time to Become a Smart Shopper

Consumers who know what harm can come from cheap ketchup buy only premium and extra class products. But don’t rely on the declared quality – check the composition. In such sauces, the share of fresh tomatoes should be 40% of the total mass of the product. It's better if the rest of the tomatoes are imitated using beet puree rather than apples or plums. Put the packaging down immediately if you notice any synthetic additives - to improve the taste, high-quality ketchups only use:

• natural herbs;
• onion and garlic powder;
• various types of pepper;
• carrot;
• mushroom seasonings.

Vegetables have natural acid, therefore citric acid or vinegar are unnecessary components in ketchup; their addition is permissible only in a minimal amount. There should also be relatively little sugar in the product. Remember: all ingredients are listed on the label in descending order of their weight.

Can a child have mayonnaise?

“Homemade” mayonnaise, which consists of egg yolks ground to a homogeneous mass, salt, sugar, lemon juice and olive oil, is not capable of causing much harm to a child’s health, except for the fact that this natural sauce still remains a high-fat product . And therefore, young children (under 3 years old) with an imperfect enzyme system of the gastrointestinal tract and overweight children are not recommended to use even “homemade” mayonnaise. But health problems can begin with regular use of store-bought mayonnaise, which, as a rule, contains many preservatives, flavors and “substitutes.”

Real mayonnaise (in the form in which its composition meets GOST standards) contains from 70 to 84% olive oil; 10-15% yolk; 2-3% sugar (or fructose); 1-1.5% salt; up to 5-6% freshly squeezed lemon juice or acetic acid; small additions of up to 0.5% of various dry ground spices are possible; up to 6% ready-made mustard for making Provencal mayonnaise. This product owes its consistency to precisely this high content of olive oil.

It is not possible to buy mayonnaise that complies with GOST: it is a perishable product and its production is very expensive. To reduce the cost of sauce production, manufacturers are developing their own specifications (technical specifications) that allow using cheaper vegetable oils instead of olive oil and adding only olive oil flavors to the product, along with flavor enhancers. With a decrease in natural ingredients and the percentage of fat content in mayonnaise, the concentration of additives increases, giving mayonnaises a different taste and aroma, making it possible to create a large assortment. Thus, mayonnaise may include:

• substances that improve appearance (dyes);
• substances that regulate consistency (thickeners, emulsifiers, stabilizers);
• substances that regulate taste and aroma (flavors, flavoring additives); substances that increase safety and shelf life (preservatives, antioxidants).

All these substances are allowed to be added to the product according to the specifications. In order to give homogeneity to a cheap mayonnaise emulsion, not fresh yolks are added to it, but egg powder or skim milk powder. Instead of the required freshly squeezed lemon juice, vinegar is added to the product, and not apple vinegar, but table vinegar. Table vinegar is produced artificially - by fermenting alcohols and carbohydrates with the help of acetic acid bacteria. Vinegar, in any form, has an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the child’s gastrointestinal tract, therefore it is not used in baby food.

To impart long-term stability and protect against separation, stabilizers and thickeners are introduced into the recipes, and the lower the fat content of the mayonnaise (the lighter it is), the more of them are required. For this, gums are used - high-molecular carbohydrates, which are the main component of exudates (juices, effusions) secreted by plants during mechanical damage to the bark or diseases. Gums are thickeners, stabilizers, gelling agents, and encapsulating agents. They are widely used in the production of mayonnaise. The following gums are distinguished: gum arabic, agar-agar; dextrans; alginic acids; guarana; xanthan.

Mayonnaise owes its consistency to the high content of olive oil.

In addition to gelatin and gum, modified (that is, with qualities modified by genetic engineering) starches and flour are often used as thickeners, the effect of which on the human body has not yet been studied.

Gum, preservatives potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, etc. - prevent the rapid deterioration of mayonnaise, suppressing the development of yeast and mold fungi. The use of these chemicals in food can lead to the development of allergic reactions, not to a certain type of product (immediate type reactions to a certain preservative), but in principle: all “chemical additives” have a negative effect on the child’s immunity, reducing it, and therefore increasing the likelihood of not only viral diseases, but also allergic reactions. The shelf life of mayonnaise directly depends on the concentration of preservatives: the more there are, the longer the product is stored. Consequently, almost all industrial mayonnaise with a shelf life of 90 days contains preservatives.

What's harmful in ketchup?

Nutritionist Natalya Sarkisyan spoke about the features of ketchup. Store-bought ketchups contain many different additives. They are rich in preservatives, dyes, flavor enhancers, and stabilizers. These components negatively affect human health and can cause serious disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract.

Sodium nitrite, which is found mainly in all sauces, can retain water, which can cause swelling. If you overuse spicy dressing, damage to the intestinal mucosa may occur, which will lead to gastritis or ulcers. In addition, dyes in most cases can cause allergies in the form of eczema or dermatitis.

Regular consumption of ketchup may disrupt the functioning of taste buds. Therefore, in order to experience the familiar taste, a person will be forced to consume more sauce with each meal.

Harm

Low-quality ketchup containing flavorings and dyes can be harmful to health. The use of such a product can lead to negative consequences:

• cause the development of an allergic reaction of varying severity;
• provoke an exacerbation of diseases of the digestive tract;
• cause the development of an inflammatory process in the pancreas, that is, pancreatitis;
• Some stabilizers and preservatives contribute to the development of malignant tumors.

The quality and environmental purity of the water used is also important. We have to hope for the honesty of the manufacturers in this matter.

Excessive consumption of ketchup by children with metabolic disorders and overweight can further aggravate the problem.

The benefits and harms of ketchup for women

If salt is not prohibited in a weight loss diet, ketchup with its 20 kcal in 1 tablespoon will become a welcome guest on an often meager table.

Tomatoes are one of the best vegetables for weight loss, as they speed up metabolism, including activating the breakdown of fats in body tissues.

But an abundance of ketchup in the diet can result in:

• unhealthy increased thirst;
• development of joint diseases.

Finishing with the negative and moving on to the benefits of ketchup, it is worth noting that the product:

• contains easily digestible iron, which is useful for the production of red blood cells, that is, the restoration of blood reserves after menstruation;
• rich in vitamin A, necessary to protect vision from age-related changes and prevent various breast diseases.

At what age can sour cream be given to children?

Sour cream is produced by fermenting normalized pasteurized cream with pure cultures of lactic acid streptococci. Among other lactic acid products, sour cream has a high calorie content - its fat content can be from 10 to 40%. According to the standard, the fat content, acidity, and the mass fraction of dry substances in sour cream with protein fillers are normalized. To reduce the cost of production of the product, its protein composition is restored by introducing whey protein concentrate and buttermilk. This information must be provided on the label.

In baby food, it is better to use sour cream, the fat content of which is no more than 10%.

In baby food, it is better to use sour cream with a natural protein component, 10% fat. The biological value of sour cream is determined by the presence of complete milk protein, containing essential amino acids, easily digestible fats and milk sugars, as well as by the fact that in the process of ripening and ripening, substances are formed that are much better absorbed by the human body, compared to dairy products. Sour cream contains valuable vitamins: A, E, B2, B12, C, PP, as well as calcium, phosphorus and iron, necessary for a growing body. Thanks to lactic acid fermentation, sour cream turns into a probiotic product: the microorganisms it contains help fight putrefactive intestinal flora and help beneficial bacteria grow and multiply. But sour cream, designed for a long shelf life - more than 10 days, loses all its beneficial properties. In addition to pasteurization, preservatives are added to extend shelf life. It is better not to use sour cream with a long shelf life in baby food. Low-fat sour cream (preferably 10%) can be offered to children starting from 1.5 years old as a dressing for soup, salads and sauces.

Recipes for simple sauces for baby food

Sour cream sauce

• 1 cup 10% sour cream;
• 0.5 tbsp. spoons of wheat flour;
• 10 g butter; salt to taste.

Bring sour cream to a boil. Then, heated sour cream is gradually poured into the white sauté (flour fried in butter) prepared in butter, stirring continuously, avoiding the formation of lumps. After this, add spices (salt); if there are lumps, filter and bring to a boil.

Tomato sauce

Melt half the butter in a frying pan, saute chopped onion and crushed garlic in it. Then add tomato paste, salt, sugar diluted in water (broth). Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Grind the flour with the remaining butter, mix with the sauce and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Fresh tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp. spoon of vegetable oil;
• 2 large onions;
• 2 cloves of garlic (do not add for children under 3 years old);
• fresh tomatoes - 5-6 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 1 pc.;
• salt, sugar to taste.

Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan. Over medium heat, fry finely chopped onion until golden brown. Add chopped garlic, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, salt and sugar to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the temperature, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. The finished sauce is filtered, rubbed through a fine sieve and allowed to boil again.

Making your own ketchup

You will need:

2 kg of very ripe tomatoes 500 grams of sweet pepper 500 grams of onions 1 glass of sugar to taste salt 200 grams of vegetable oil 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper 1 tablespoon of dry mustard
Preparation
. We pass all the products through a meat grinder, mix, add spices and cook for 1.5 hours. Ketchup is ready.

Lilia Yurkanis for women's magazine InFlora.ru

When using or reprinting material, an active link to the women's online magazine InFlora.ru is required

Safety regulations

1. Try to buy ketchup whose shelf life is not calculated in years. This product uses fairly harmless citric or acetic acid as a preservative.

2. The shorter the list of ingredients in ketchup, the more likely you are to purchase “real tomatoes.”

3. Ketchup produced during the summer and fall months is more likely to be made from fresh tomato paste.

4. The further down the list of ingredients sugar is, the less of it is in the finished product.

5. Try making homemade ketchup from tomato paste or tomatoes in your own juice. You will spend time, but you will not pay for extra sugar, vinegar and other additives.

The benefits and harms of ketchup for men

Ketchup is a popular marinade for barbecue because it not only improves the taste, but also tenderizes the meat. Approximately the same effect will be from adding sauce to a plate with any meat dish: tomato ingredients will help you digest protein and fats more easily.

A snack with ketchup partially neutralizes the toxic effect of alcohol on the liver and reduces hangover symptoms by 35%.

Vinegar and essential oils of spices in the sauce have a positive effect on:

• reproductive system;
• muscular endurance.

The tomato enzyme lycopene is beneficial for the heart. Scientists have also proven that ketchup reduces cravings for cigarettes.

Men should be especially careful with piquant, spicy varieties of ketchup. Such sauces can cause heartburn. They are strictly prohibited for pancreatitis, gastritis, stomach and intestinal ulcers.

As for BBQ (barbecue) ketchup, sauces with this name are often produced with the addition of liquid low-quality smoke, that is, portions of carcinogenic substances that threaten cancer in such a product are no less than cigarette smoke.

Tomatoes: varieties

The most popular varieties of red tomatoes in Ukraine are Casta (Supernova), Bagheera, Pietra Rossa, Rufus, and Upgrade F1. They are quite juicy and meaty. One of the most popular tomatoes in Ukraine are pink tomatoes from Kalinovka. They have a delicate but distinctive taste and are available all year round. The popular Black Prince variety is distinguished by its dark color and bright, rich taste. At the end of summer, cream tomatoes dominate the markets. Externally, Italian varieties are similar to them: San Marzano, with which Italian pizza is prepared, and Roma. Cherry tomatoes, which have a bright, sweet flavor, are used in confit-style salads and stews. Connoisseurs hunt for Ox's Heart tomatoes during the season, and summer residents respect the De Barao tomato, which comes in red, black, pink and yellow.

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/newcrossgardener

Tomatoes: benefits

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. However, what makes tomatoes most valuable is that they are a major source of the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Nutrients in tomatoes

Vitamin C. An essential nutrient and antioxidant. One medium-sized tomato can provide about 28% of the Daily Dietary Intake (RDI).

Potassium. An essential mineral that is beneficial for controlling blood pressure and preventing heart disease.

Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone. Vitamin K is important for blood clotting and bone health.

Vitamin B9 (folate). Important for normal tissue growth and cell functioning, which is especially important for pregnant women.

Lycopene. The red pigment and antioxidant lycopene is the most abundant carotenoid in ripened tomatoes. Its highest concentration is in the skin. Its impact is discussed in more detail below.

Beta carotene. The antioxidant that often gives foods their yellow or orange tint is converted into vitamin A in your body.

Naringenin. This flavonoid, found in the skin of tomatoes, has been found to reduce inflammation and protect against various diseases in a mouse study.

Chlorogenic acid. A powerful antioxidant compound that lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

Lycopene

As a general rule, the redder the tomato, the more lycopene it contains. At the same time, it remains in cooked tomatoes, and due to the evaporation of moisture, the concentration of lycopene in them increases. Therefore, products such as tomato sauce, ketchup, tomato juice, and tomato paste are rich sources of lycopene. For example, 100 g of ketchup contains 10-14 mg of lycopene, while the same weight of fresh tomato (100 g) contains only 1-8 mg. However, do not forget that the calorie content of ketchup is much higher. Our digestive tract can only process small amounts of lycopene—experts recommend 22 mg per day. To do this, it is enough to eat no more than two tablespoons of tomato puree.

Certain foods in your diet can have a profound effect on lycopene absorption. Thus, its absorption, together with a source of fat, increases four times.

A study of middle-aged men linked low blood levels of lycopene and beta-carotene to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Thus, the benefit of lycopene is that it helps prevent heart disease. Eating tomatoes also reduces bad cholesterol, increases the elasticity of artery walls, and has also been shown to be effective in preventing prostate, lung, stomach and breast cancer.

Tomato and skin health

Tomato-based foods rich in lycopene and other plant compounds may protect against sunburn. According to the study, people who took 40g of tomato paste (equivalent to 16mg of lycopene) with olive oil every day for 10 weeks experienced 40% fewer sunburns.

How is ketchup made?

Ketchup production begins with the production of tomato paste. They try to get rid of non-digestible fragments as much as possible: skin, seeds, fibers. To do this, multi-stage wiping is carried out. All processes are automated.

How to make ketchup

:

1. The tomatoes are washed, treated with hot air, dirt is removed, and kneaded. Grind into a pulp and pass through a grinding machine with sieves with 5 mm holes.
2. The pulp is heated in plate sterilizers to a sterilization temperature of 75-80°C, during which protopectin is transformed into pectin, which gives the intermediate product a uniform consistency.
3. Repeated rubbing is carried out through a system of sieves with a diameter of 1.2 to 0.4 mm to achieve a fine consistency. The process is called finishing.
4. The waste is processed again: boiled at 96°C, passed through a screw wiper and drainer, where the juice is separated, which is again sent to the intermediate raw material. The waste is then pressed and the resulting juice is used to liquefy the pulp.
5. To obtain an absolutely safe product, it is subjected to severe heat treatment. The pulp is heated to 125°C, cooled to 70°C and again heated to 85°C. All processes are carried out in a vacuum unit to preserve the beneficial properties of ketchup. To destroy microbes that cause butulism, the paste is passed through tubular multi-pass exchangers.
6. During heating, the liquid is evaporated until the desired consistency and acidity are achieved. If the pH is below 6.5, the intermediate product is used to produce tomato puree.