take it easy! Salt contains "potassium ferrocyanide" safety

"How can potassium ferrocyanide be found in salt, is potassium cyanide not very toxic?!" Yesterday, some people had reported that they saw the "potassium cyanide" component on the salt package purchased. They were worried about food safety. According to industry sources, "salt addition of potassium ferrocyanide is harmful" has been rumored many times. At present, the anti-caking agent “potassium ferrocyanide” is added to salt in the salt industry in China. It is strictly implemented in accordance with the National Food Safety Standard for Food Additives (GB2760), and domestic salt safety is guaranteed.

Potassium ferrocyanide as an edible additive

Recently, Ms. Liu, a citizen of Guangzhou, has found the Yangcheng Evening News reporter with the low sodium salt of a package of mineral salt products. Ms. Liu told reporters that she had accidentally discovered that in addition to salt and iodine, there was potassium ferrocyanide in the salt table. She stated that she does not understand chemistry, but her knowledge of "potassium cyanide" is still known. "Why can there be such a highly toxic ingredient in salt? Will it be harmful?” Ms. Liu also looked for a net post from the Internet to reporters. The post mentioned that “we must be vigilant against cyanide in salt and can’t buy it.” The salts of the ingredients will produce potassium cyanide after heating."

Yesterday, in the condiment area of ​​a large supermarket near the sports center, the reporter looked at a variety of table salt ingredients, found that several brands of salt were added potassium ferrocyanide composition, the amount is less than or equal to 10mg/kg. Subsequently, the reporter got in touch with Guangzhou Salt Industry Company. The staff member stated that potassium ferrocyanide is different from potassium cyanide and is a food additive. It is non-toxic and added to salt mainly plays an anti-caking effect. Therefore, it is also called “anti-caking agent” and its scope of application is salt. And on behalf of salt products, the maximum use of 0.01g/kg.

Heating does not decompose potassium cyanide

Regarding the post's arguments, the reporter found that in February this year, the National Salt Industry Standardization Technical Committee released the “Relevant information on the recent dissemination of information from the media about the addition of potassium ferrocyanide into the salt” to the unrealistic information that harms the health of consumers. Description". The explanation mentioned that there have been untrue information disseminated from the media that “adding potassium ferrocyanide in salt” has jeopardized the health of consumers. At present, China's salt industry in the addition of anti-caking agent "potassium ferrocyanide" in salt, is strictly in accordance with the "national food safety standards for food additives" (GB2760) implementation, China's salt safety is guaranteed.

Zhong Kai, a food safety expert at the Kexin Food and Nutrition Information Exchange Center, said in an interview with the media that common salt anti-caking agents include potassium ferrocyanide, ferric ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide, and calcium silicate, which are currently used most frequently. It is potassium ferrocyanide, and its chemical structure is completely different from that of potassium cyanide that can poison people.

It is understood that potassium ferrocyanide heat decomposition of potassium cyanide, was criticized by a number of experts as "nonsense." The cyanogen and iron in potassium ferrocyanide has a very strong binding force and high stability, and it can be decomposed to produce potassium cyanide only when it reaches nearly 400°C. Consumers can rest assured that they can eat it.