Borax is prohibited in alkaline rice dumplings, and sodium trimetaphosphate can be used to maintain Q degree

The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and every household will eat rice dumplings to celebrate the occasion. However, the Taichung Municipal Government Health Bureau reminds people that they should pay attention to the calories when eating rice dumplings. If they are alkaline rice dumplings, they still need to choose those made with "sodium trimetaphosphate" instead of "borax" to avoid diarrhea, vomiting and other discomfort symptoms.

In the early days, businesses would add "borax" to the ingredients in order to make alkaline rice dumplings chewy and elastic. However, borax can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea and other symptoms in some people, so the country has enacted legislation to completely ban its use. If businesses violate the law, they may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 in accordance with Article 11 of the Food Sanitation Management Act.

In order to promote the use of sodium trimetaphosphate instead of borax when making alkaline rice dumplings, Deputy Director of the Health Bureau Chen Nansong, dressed in a chef's uniform, personally demonstrated the use of sodium trimetaphosphate today, the 29th: Add 1 small bowl of "sodium trimetaphosphate" to the water that has been cooked for 90% of the alkaline rice dumplings and stir evenly, then simmer the alkaline rice dumplings for 10 to 15 minutes to increase the chewiness and elasticity of the rice dumpling meat.

Huang Meina, director of the Department of Health, said that starting today, sodium trimetaphosphate will be provided free of charge during working hours at 29 health centers within the jurisdiction of the Taichung City Government, and the public can request it at the nearest clinic.