Is it normal for grass jelly to be thick? Nutritionist says...

When the weather is cold, there is nothing more satisfying than a bowl of heart-warming "Grass Jelly". However, an online rumor pointed out that "grass jelly has added tenderizing essence and borax to increase its silky and chewy texture." What exactly are these additives? Is it harmful to health?

There are rumors online that commercially available grass jelly contains inappropriate food additives, such as tenderizing essence or borax. Inappropriate food additives may affect people's health.

Adding cornstarch to the grass jelly juice will make it thick

In response to this, Cai Yusi, a nutritionist at the Nantou Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that the old method of making it was to use dried grass jelly branches and leaves, wash them thoroughly, boil them for a long time, filter the juice, and add cornstarch to make it thick. However, after the starch ages after cooling, it will return to a liquid state after being heated again. This is the characteristic of starch. Therefore, the grass jelly with cornstarch added will become thinner after being cooked for a long time.

Nutritionist Cai Yusi said that "tenderizing essence" is a tenderizing agent, commonly known as protein-degrading enzyme, extracted from plants, such as papaya enzyme, bromelain, etc., which can tenderize meat.

The grass jelly that is cooked using the traditional cooking method, with grass jelly juice and water added and cooked in a cypress barrel, has a lighter color. However, the grass jelly that is cooked using tenderizing essence to speed up its softening, takes half the cooking time and has a darker color. So far, tenderizer is a legal food additive, and its main use is to tenderize meat products. Although it is a legal additive, patients with kidney disease and gout are reminded not to consume it excessively.

However, borax is generally used as a bleaching agent, mainly to increase the crispness of products, but it cannot be added to food because it is illegal and harmful to health.