In June 2013, CCTV exposed the incident that some enterprises in Jiangxi used the industrial Basic Copper Sulphate to pickle preserved eggs, which once again aroused public concern about food safety. For a time, Chinese people invented a new title: "Basic Copper Sulphate preserved egg", and the condemnation of Basic Copper Sulphate was endless. Some people even claim to use traditional recipes to make preserved eggs to ensure safety. Feeling the status quo, I also felt the need to write something a long time ago. Although this has no effect on changing the status quo of food safety in China,-but now, it can only be so.
Then, weishida Copper Acetate Manufacturers ( https://www.wsdty.com/product/copper-acetate ) will take you to understand those things about preserved eggs and Basic Copper Sulphate.

1. Traditional preserved egg processing technology:

Although there are many formulas for processing Songhua preserved eggs, the main raw materials generally include: quicklime (CaO), soda ash (Na2CO3), plant ash (K2CO3), table salt, Huang Dan powder, tea and so on.

According to the requirements of the above formula, put the required ash in a container and prepare with water. The quicklime first reacts with water to the quick-ripened lime, and then the hydrated lime metathesizes with the main components of soda ash and grass charcoal, potassium carbonate, to produce sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. In order to make the materials in the hair material fully react, it can be used after being prepared for 24 hours.

Roll the fresh egg in the prepared ashes several times, so that the eggshell surface is evenly coated with a layer of ashes, take it out, and then roll a few times in the rice chaff or sawdust to make a layer of rice chaff or stick on the ashes. Sawdust. Gently squeeze it with your hands to tighten it, put it in a pre-prepared container, seal the container, and place it at an ambient temperature of 18-24°C. After a period of time, it will be edible.

2. The processing of preserved eggs is essentially a complex chemical reaction process. The strong alkali (NaOH, KOH) in the ashes penetrates into the egg white and yolk through the eggshell, and interacts with the protein in it, causing the protein to decompose, solidify and release a small amount Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. At the same time, the infiltrated alkali will further neutralize with the amino acids decomposed from the protein, and the resulting salt crystals are deposited in the preserved egg white of the gel peptide, and the blossoming white "songhua" (this is also the name of the songhua egg) s reason). The hydrogen sulfide gas reacts with the minerals in the egg white and egg yolk to generate various sulfides, so the color of the egg white and egg yolk changes, the egg white is a special dark brown, and the egg yolk is dark green. Table salt can shrink preserved eggs and increase their taste. The tannins and aromatic oils in tea leaves can color the solidified protein and increase the flavor of preserved eggs.

3. Lead oxide (Huang Dan powder) is added to the traditional preserved egg processing formula in our country. Because lead is a toxic heavy metal element, our country began to study the substitutes of lead oxide very early. Replacing lead with copper (ie lead-free preserved egg craft) is a huge advancement in preserved egg technology. I can’t verify when my country will start producing lead-free preserved egg craft. I found on the Netease blog: “In 1983, Hubei Commodity Inspection Bureau used Basic Copper Sulphate replaces lead oxide to produce preserved eggs, realizing the first industrial production of lead-free preserved eggs", but the source is unknown. In the Journal of Hunan Agricultural College in December 1987, there was an article signed by Li Xigu and others: Research on the new lead-free process of Songhua preserved eggs. From the article, the process of lead-free preserved eggs was relatively mature. (It can also be seen from this article that there was a clear understanding of the harmfulness of lead-containing preserved eggs to the human body at that time.) In addition, GB 9694-1988 limits the copper and zinc content of preserved preserved eggs produced by other processes (in GB2762). Even in the 2012 version, there is no limit on the content of copper and zinc), which shows that copper and zinc (Basic Copper Sulphate) were widely used instead of lead to produce preserved eggs.

Today, if you use traditional methods to make preserved eggs, are you sure you can get food grade quicklime? Is there food grade plant ash? Do you add Huang Danfen or not? Really, homemade preserved eggs are not necessarily safer than Basic Copper Sulphate preserved eggs.

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4. There is a sentence in the CCTV report: "In September 2008, my country revised the lead content standard for preserved eggs and deleted the traditional lead-containing processing technology in the original preserved egg standard." However, I found that the current effective hygienic standard for egg products is GB2749-2003, and the current effective national standard for preserved eggs is GB9694-88. No new revised standard in 2008 was found. In addition, there was a news item in the Hunan Daily on September 22, 2008, with the headline: "Shendan takes the lead in revising the national standard for preserved eggs. Leaded preserved egg craftsmanship will be banned." Which standard is being revised, and when the new standard will be implemented. Mentioned. It can be said that I have not found a clear basis for the "ban on lead". Of course, I searched GB2760—1996, GB2760—2007, and GB2760—2011 and I did not find the basis for the legal use of Huang Dan powder (lead oxide), or it can be said that the use of Huang Dan powder (lead oxide) has never been legal. Over.

5. When the Basic Copper Sulphate process was promoted, the entire preserved egg industry was in an extremely embarrassing situation. On the one hand, in the face of the requirement of lead-free society, Basic Copper Sulphate is almost an indispensable raw material in the industrialized production of preserved eggs. On the other hand, the state has never recognized the legality of adding Basic Copper Sulphate to the processing of preserved eggs. In this way, Basic Copper Sulphate has been playing an important role in the processing of preserved eggs "no name and no part". This situation was not changed until the beginning of 2010. On January 4, 2010, the Ministry of Health (now renamed the National Health and Family Planning Commission) announced: "Substances included in the list of processing aids for the food industry: Basic Copper Sulphate" (Announcement No. 1, 2010), Basic Copper Sulphate finally gained its reputation in the processing of preserved eggs.

6. Since the 1980s until the beginning of 2010, Basic Copper Sulphate has been used "illegally". Is it true that the regulatory authorities have not discovered it? This question is really difficult to answer. my country’s National Food Additive Standardization Technical Committee was only established in 1980, and our GB2760 was established in 1981 (GB2760-81). The level of attention to food hygiene and food hygiene standards is compared with today. There is a world of difference. Once the Basic Copper Sulphate process is recognized as "a huge advancement in preserved egg technology", many problems will be covered up. In China, once one thing is "set the tone", other opinions will be overwhelmed by the tone. Even if the supervisors at the time discovered that the Basic Copper Sulphate process could not do much. For example, today’s widely criticized food safety sub-regulation model was promoted as a highlight of the Food Safety Law in 2009 (see "Procurator Daily" March 2, 2009), so many people of insight are worried. Submerged in the bright spot. In the nearly 30 years since the invention of the Basic Copper Sulphate process, has the company applied to the relevant authorities for Basic Copper Sulphate as a legal food additive? I believe there is. After all, both the "Food Sanitation Law of the People's Republic of China (for Trial Implementation)" and the "Food Sanitation Law of the People's Republic of China" clearly stipulate: "It is prohibited to produce and operate additives that have not been approved by the health administration department of the State Council" ( Needless to say the provisions of the Food Safety Law). As a company, especially those large-scale companies, the raw materials they are definitely reluctant to use may be accused of illegal additives, and it is logical to apply to the health department for the legalization of Basic Copper Sulphate. Why was the approval of the Ministry of Health only issued in early 2010? I am willing to believe this reason: "A series of safety assessments are required for Basic Copper Sulphate ( https://www.wsdty.com/product/copper-sulfate/basic-copper-sulphate ) as a food additive (processing aid). It takes time." But I also noticed that GB14880-94 (approved on February 22, 1994, Implemented on September 1 of the same year) Basic Copper Sulphate has been allowed to be used as a nutritional supplement.