Food Inspection

The main tests for puffed products include the following four items:

Acid value, peroxide value, carbonyl value

These three items mainly reflect the degree of lipid deterioration and oxidation in the product. An unqualified acid value indicates that the oil in the oil-based product has oxidized and deteriorated, which will cause the product's odor and taste to deteriorate, reduce its nutritional value, and affect the normal digestive and absorption functions of the human body.

Carbonyl value is an intermediate indicator of oil oxidation and spoilage. It is produced because when the peroxides generated during the oil oxidation process accumulate to a certain extent, they decompose and polymerize to some extent. The decomposition products produce many carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and ketones. The level of the carbonyl value can also be used to evaluate the quality of the oil contained in the product.

An unqualified peroxide value indicates that the oil has oxidized and become rancid, which not only affects the quality of oil-based puffed products but, if severely exceeded, can cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, seriously endangering human health.

Antioxidants

Common antioxidants used in oils include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). To some extent, they can prevent the peroxide value and carbonyl value in fried potato and puffed products from exceeding standards.

Lead, Aluminum

Excessive aluminum content is mainly caused by companies adding aluminum-containing baking powder (chemical leavening agents) during the production process. Using leavening agents composed of potassium aluminum and sodium bicarbonate, among others, can improve the leavening quality on one hand and reduce costs due to the relatively low price of potassium aluminum on the other. Although aluminum is considered a low-toxicity metal element in toxicology and does not cause acute poisoning, the aluminum that enters cells can bind with various proteins, enzymes, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and other important substances in the human body, affecting numerous biochemical reactions and interfering with the normal metabolism of cells and organs.

During the production of potato and puffed products, trace amounts of lead may be introduced due to equipment issues, or it may be caused by the raw materials themselves having high lead content. Lead can damage the brain's nervous system, impair normal brain cell metabolism, affect intellectual development, and may even hinder lifelong health.

Microbiological Indicators

Microbiological indicators (total bacterial count, coliform group, pathogenic bacteria, etc.) are used to evaluate cleanliness and safety, reflecting whether hygiene requirements are met during the production process. The main reasons for unqualified microbiological indicators in products include insufficient attention to workshop environmental hygiene and personal hygiene by some companies, poor sanitary quality of raw materials, excessive manual operations, outdated production equipment and processes, lax control over raw material hygiene quality, and inadequate sterilization of packaging materials.