Are Our Food Choices Correct?

Are Our Food Choices Right? The pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, and it has also made us more careful about our food choices. Now in our food preferences, as it should be, we place greater emphasis on food safety than ever before. Our heightened sensitivity to harmful microorganisms plays an important role in this. Food Engineer Ebru Akdağ answered questions about many foods ranging from herbal teas to margarines, from eggs to canned products, and offered these tips for making informed food choices:

How Do We Identify Fresh Eggs?

First of all, when buying eggs as with any food, we should check the expiration date on the packaging. Contrary to what some think, the color of the egg yolk is not an indicator of quality. It would be incorrect to view this as a quality clue since it varies depending on the breed of chicken and its diet. It is also not something that can be checked while shopping. However, what we should keep in mind from the start is to note the expiration date of the eggs. On the other hand, if you want to understand whether your egg is fresh, I can give you some tips. Water Test: The air pocket inside eggs expands over time. Therefore, the egg's ability to float in water increases. When you place a fresh egg in a container of cold water, it sinks to the bottom. An egg that is starting to lose freshness begins to stand upright. If the egg rises to the surface of the water, it is not very fresh. However, this does not mean the egg is completely spoiled. At this stage, you should crack the egg and check if it smells bad and whether the yolk has broken apart. Flashlight Test: Turn on a flashlight and hold the egg's pointed end up to the light. As an egg loses freshness, the air pocket inside it grows. You can see this using light. Also, if a fertilized egg is incubated for six days, the embryo may appear as a black thread-like structure; do not be surprised by this. Listening Test: Since a fresh egg has very little air pocket inside, when you shake it gently and listen, you will hear no sound. However, a stale egg makes noise from inside. This is because the pocket inside has expanded. Hold Test: Another freshness test relates to the yolk. Crack the egg and place the yolk in your palm. If the membrane does not burst when you hold the yolk with two fingers, the egg is fresh.

Does Metal from Packaging Transfer to Food?

Contrary to belief, the transfer of metals from metal packaging to food does not occur in a proper food-packaging relationship. Besides, these products have already passed the necessary tests to ensure no such transfer takes place. Consuming canned products has no health drawbacks, and it can even have a positive effect in terms of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and preventing food waste. Of course, canned foods have slightly lower nutritional value compared to their fresh or frozen equivalents. However, during times when we cannot access the others, canned products can be a good, practical and healthy food alternative.

Do Margarines Contain Trans Fats and Cholesterol?

Although it occasionally comes up in discussion, the trans fat issue is actually an old story for our country. When the risks of trans fats were not yet known, margarines contained trans fats. This was not because trans fat was added to the product, but because it was formed unintentionally during production. Once its negative effects and risks on health were revealed, production technology changed. All leading manufacturer companies rapidly updated their technologies in this direction. Turkey was one of the first countries in the world to legally transition to trans fat-free production. Local manufacturers, 15 years ago, began moving toward trans fat-free production entirely on their own initiative, when there was no legal regulation or restriction whatsoever. For the last 15 years, production in Turkey has been below the level that the World Health Organization "considers absent." Scientifically, the "level considered absent" is below 1 percent. When it comes to cholesterol, this is also one of the most common misconceptions. Cholesterol cannot be associated with margarine at all, because cholesterol exists in animal-based foods. Margarine, on the other hand, is made from a mixture of vegetable oils. Therefore, margarines, like all vegetable-based foods, do not contain cholesterol. How Are Tea Bags for Herbs and Fruit Teas Produced? Bagged tea is somewhat misunderstood because of its name, as the first thing that comes to mind when "tea bag" is mentioned is nylon. However, these tea bags have nothing to do with nylon. The tea bags used by major tea producers in Turkey are made from the fibers of the Abaka tree, a type of banana plant. Therefore, they are plant-based products. Tea bags made from Abaka fiber do not dissolve in hot water but allow the tea's contents to pass into the water. Are "100 Percent" Fruit Juices Additive-Free? Legally, the addition of sugar, sweeteners, flavorings, colorants, preservatives and other additives to "100 percent" fruit juices is prohibited. In other words, they are similar in nature to freshly squeezed juice at home. The main difference is that they undergo heat treatment to preserve nutritional value throughout their shelf life. This can result in some loss, albeit minor, in vitamin content.