Is there alum in fried dough sticks?

Nowadays, if people don’t want to make breakfast at home, they will go to a restaurant outside to eat soy milk and fried dough sticks. This has almost become a standard breakfast for modern people. Youtiao is a kind of fried food, which is very high in calories and can easily make people feel full. However, there are actually chemical substances in the fried dough sticks, which makes them fluffy. So, is there alum in fried dough sticks?

1. Why do we add alum to fried dough sticks?

Alum and alkali must be added when frying dough sticks or fried cakes, and whether the dough sticks can be fried well depends on the ratio of alum and alkali in the raw materials. Alum is a complex salt that is acidic when hydrolyzed, while alkali (food alkali) is a carbonate containing water of crystallization that is alkaline when hydrolyzed. When alum and alkali are put into water, chemical changes will occur between them, producing a large amount of carbon dioxide gas and flocculent aluminum hydroxide. When combined with flour, the flocs, aluminum hydroxide and flour form a film that envelops the carbon dioxide gas. When the fried dough sticks are put into the hot oil pan, the carbon dioxide gas expands due to the heat, causing the fried dough sticks to swell.

In addition, alum is added to the traditional way of making fried dough sticks, so that they will become crispy and delicious. This is why alum and alkali are added when frying dough sticks.

2. The harm of excessive consumption of alum

Alum was often widely used as a food leavening agent in the past, and was often used as an additive in the production of foods such as fried dough sticks, vermicelli, and rice noodles to make them fluffy and clear. Alum contains aluminum, and excessive intake can be harmful to your health.

The chemical composition of alum is potassium aluminum sulfate, which contains aluminum ions. Therefore, excessive intake will affect the body's absorption of iron, calcium and other components, leading to osteoporosis, anemia, and even affect the development of nerve cells and cause dementia.

3. Teach you how to identify whether alum is added to fried dough sticks

To identify whether the fried dough sticks contain excessive alum, you can break them apart while they are still hot and take a few deep sniffs with your nose. If the smell is particularly pungent, it means that the fried dough sticks you are currently eating contain excessive alum. The color looks a bit abnormal, the yellow is whitish, and it turns a bit black after cooling down. This kind of fried dough sticks not only contains alum, but also uses problematic oil, such as gutter oil, stale oil, etc.