Fact: a common ingredient in bakery products is obtained from human hair that comes from China |
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In the times past, bread was made by hand from flour and water with the addition of yeast or sourdough.
The process of making bread lasted for hours, often through the night.
Today, the bakery products are made on the industrial lane.
The process of bread manufacture, from the moment the dough is made to packaging and selling the finished product, today lasts even less than 4 hours.
To achieve this, manufacturers use a variety of accessories - acidity regulators, flavor enhancers, colors and compounds for strengthening the dough and for preventing the formation of lumps.
All this is done to return lost taste and smell of bread, and to improve the damage done by its fast preparation.
After baking, products are sprayed with chemicals such as calcium propionate to prevent fungal growth, and thereby increase shelf life.
Products are then packaged in an attractive plastic packaging, in which they meet us on the store shelves.
Commercial production of bread is a precise "science." The amount of additives determines the appearance, taste, color, smell and shelf life of bakery products.
One of such additives is L-cysteine.
What is L-cysteine and why is it added to bakery products
L-cysteine (or E 920) is a non-essential amino acid and one of the additives which is routinely added into bakery products.
It is used as a substance for the treatment of flour since it improves flexibility and quality of the dough, and thus the appearance of the final product.
Therefore, it is added to bread, biscuits, pastries, cakes and quick frozen products.
Although L-cysteine can be produced in the laboratory, most of it is produced from a natural and cheap source - human hair.
The hair is dissolved in acid, after which L-cysteine is isolated via the chemical process, packaged and sent to commercial bread producers.
Besides human hair, other sources of L-cysteine include chicken and duck feathers, animal furs, cow horns and petroleum byproducts.
Incidentally, most of the hair that is used in the production of L-cysteine is collected from the floors of hairdressing salons in China.
Although most of us read this fact with disgust, it seems that most consumers in Western world are not bothered with the consumption of human hair.
However, if you are a vegetarian, a Muslim or a Jew, then you have a serious problem.
Muslims are not allowed to consume anything that is made of human body parts. Many rabbis for the same reason also prohibit the consumption of products that have human hair.
And if you are a vegetarian - eating human hair or hair of animals is out of the question.
The situation is even worse because of the law in force which states that the manufacturers do not have to mark the L-cysteine on the product label.
So do not be fooled if you do not find the L-cysteine on the label. This ingredient is routinely added to flour for the preparation of bread, cakes, biscuits and other commercial baked goods.
Homemade bread - more effort, more health
You do not like eating human hair? Are you wondering how can you avoid the intake of L-cysteine and other harmful additives? There is only one answer – start making your own bread!
Of course, this is not the easiest or cheapest solution. But staying healthy in our modern world is not easy, nor cheap.
With a little practice and patience, you can learn to bake your bread, rolls and biscuits finer and healthier than those from the bakery.
Do you make your own bread? Share your recipes with us in the commentaries!
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