I don't generally purchase foods that are too "processed" but I make an exception when it comes to shredded cheese. I've been able to get it cheaply, and I figure the extra expense is more than made up on the band-aids I'm not using when I shred my knuckles.
Yesterday my More-Health-Conscious-Than-Me Neighbor asked if I knew anything about an ingredient they're putting in shredded cheeses: natamycin. According to the package of cheese in my refrigerator, it's a mold inhibitor.
I didn't mind when they tossed a little cornstarch in the bag of cheese to prevent the shreds from clumping, but I'm not feeling too good about this.
Guess it's time to re-stock that kitchen band-aid box.
What do you know about this ingredient? I'd like some information.
It is used in the food industry as a preservative to inhibit fungal growth on cheese and other food. It may be applied in a liquid spray or in powdered form on whole, shredded, or soft cheese, or applied on or in the wax covering of some cheeses. As a food additive, it has E number E235. Medical Natamycin is used to treat fungal infections, including Candida, Aspergillus, Cephalosporium, Fusarium and Penicillium. It is applied as a cream, in eyedrops, or (for oral infections) in a lozenge. Natamycin shows negligible absorption into the body when administered in these ways. When taken orally, little or none is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, making it inappropriate for systemic infections.[1] Safety Natamycin lacks acute toxicity. In animal studies, the lowest LD50 found was 450 mg/kg. In rats, the LD50 is ≥2300 mg/kg, and doses of 500 mg/kg/day over 2 years caused no detectable differences in survival rate, growth, or incidence of tumors. The metabolites of natamycin also lack toxicity. The breakdown products of natamycin under various storage conditions may have a lower LD50 than natamycin, but in all cases the numbers are quite high. In humans, a dose of 500 mg/kg/day repeated over multiple days caused nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.[2] There is no evidence that natamycin, at either pharmacological levels or levels encountered as a food additive, can harm normal intestinal flora, but definitive research may not be available.[2]
PCI-95/50 Natamycin (Pimaricin) is an antifungal which can be used as antibiotic to treat most fungus infections. PCI-95/50 Natamycin is an natural antimicrobial food additive used to protect food from mold and yeast growth. Its application is reliable and safe to human body. It has been globally used in a variety of foods and beverages. Natamycin is deemed to be a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) substance in USA , and is assigned to be the number E-235-natural preservative in European Union.
__________________ We all get heavier as we get older,
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HHHmmmm......I didn't know about this at all. Thanks for posting this Barbszy. I will definitely try to find out about this because we use shredded cheese, too.
I stopped used shredded cheese when I found out they no long use cornstarch to prevent clumping. They use food grade wood fiber. I think it is called cellose.
Thanks for the new information!
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Its making me want to throw out the 4 pkgs of shredded cheeses I have in the freezer, lol. They were on sale 2/$3.00, Barbsy I use my Salad shooter usually to shredd cheese, makes amess, but no bandaids needed!
We all get heavier as we get older,
It makes you walk funny!
Lauri
