Formaldehyde in 'tahu'

Formaldehyde in 'tahu'

I am a student in my final year at Gandhi Memorial
International School.

Tahu (soya cake), a basic part of the Indonesian diet, is said
to be the healthiest protein source for our bodies. However,
recently while doing research on the use of harmful chemical
preservatives, I came across very disturbing information on the
Internet that in some cases, formaldehyde is used to preserve
various type of foods, and that this practice is prevalent in
Indonesia, especially in the preservation of tahu.

Formaldehyde (formalin) is a preservative that is normally
used for preserving tissue/biological specimens, with various
other industrial uses, and is carcinogenic. Taking a lead from
this, I conducted a few experiments by myself, with the help of
my teacher, and I found a few alarming results.

I took some tahu samples from markets and supermarkets and did
find traces of formaldehyde in some of the samples, though in
very minute quantities ranging from 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent.
Tahu samples that had formaldehyde had a very nice smell, unlike
the usual fermented smell that regular tahu (without
formaldehyde) has.

Taking direct samples from a tahu factory in Jakarta, my
teacher and I discovered that during the process of adding
gypsum, they add very minute quantities of formaldehyde. They add
this harmful chemical, already diluted thoroughly in water, into
the soymilk, just before it is to be molded. This soymilk is
boiled at high temperatures and the gypsum helps in the curdling
of the soymilk.

However, it needs to be mentioned here that since the
formaldehyde is very diluted and the soymilk is boiled at high
temperatures, the hazardous effects of the chemical is
marginalized.

The most surprising element is the lack of awareness
concerning this issue. And it is purely for commercial reasons
that formaldehyde is used in the process, as the chemical can
preserve the product (tahu) for a longer period of time.

Some of the market vendors accepted the fact that formaldehyde
is used as a preservative and most of the vendors were ignorant
of the side effects that can be caused by this chemical.

Since it is being added in such minute quantities, I feel that
the harmful effects are neutralized once cooked in boiling water
at high temperature. But the fact still remains that few people
are aware of the harmful effects of using this chemical as a
preservative. I personally feel that traditional and safer
preservatives, such as turmeric, vinegar and ascorbic acid, can
be applied in the production process to preserve food.

ARAVIND BALAGI G. PRASAD, Jakarta