Biscuit, confectionery, ice-cream and bakery product makers are not perturbed by a debate raging on the adverse impact of caramel. For, the companies say the grade of caramel they use is different from the ones used by carbonated beverage makers.
“We use plain caramel that is produced by heating sugar at high temperature,” says Prabhakar Kanade, chief research & development officer, Mother Dairy. “The catalyst used here is an organic compound — not ammonia or an ammonium compound, which is used by carbonated beverage makers,” says the official with the 1974founded company, which has icecreams in its portfolio, besides milk and other dairy products.
This caramel produced using liquid ammonia or ammonium compounds is also called acid-stable caramel. It is this grade, which has 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, high levels of which have been linked to cancer in animals, according to food safety experts.
Under rules and regulations prescribed by the Food & Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), users of acid-stable caramel have to indicate the same on the product. Users of plain caramel, however, have no such stipulation, because the regulator has described it as safe. The limit prescribed for the use of caramel by FSSAI is three grams per litre.
“We use plain caramel that is produced by heating sugar at high temperature,” says Prabhakar Kanade, chief research & development officer, Mother Dairy. “The catalyst used here is an organic compound — not ammonia or an ammonium compound, which is used by carbonated beverage makers,” says the official with the 1974founded company, which has icecreams in its portfolio, besides milk and other dairy products.
This caramel produced using liquid ammonia or ammonium compounds is also called acid-stable caramel. It is this grade, which has 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, high levels of which have been linked to cancer in animals, according to food safety experts.
Under rules and regulations prescribed by the Food & Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), users of acid-stable caramel have to indicate the same on the product. Users of plain caramel, however, have no such stipulation, because the regulator has described it as safe. The limit prescribed for the use of caramel by FSSAI is three grams per litre.
No comments:
Post a Comment