Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
United Daily News / Reporter Chen Yuxin / Taipei Report 2014.12.25
The emulsifier for bean products from Qianxin not only contained dimethyl yellow, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday announced the latest test results, revealing the presence of diethyl yellow. Diethyl yellow is typically added to gasoline, diesel, wax oils, inks, plastics, and other materials as a dye. The FDA stated that there have been no previous cases of diethyl yellow being added to food, making this likely the first global instance.
On December 6 this year, Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety under the Environmental Hygiene Department notified Taiwan that dimethyl yellow had been detected in Dechang dried tofu. The FDA’s investigation found that the source of the dimethyl yellow was Qianxin Industrial Co., which purchased industrial-grade "oil-soluble yellow powder" from Rongmei Chemical Co. and added it to emulsifiers and defoamers for bean products, affecting all downstream manufacturers and their products such as dried tofu and tofu skin. Many well-known dried tofu brands were implicated.
The FDA noted that all products using Qianxin’s bean product emulsifier have been removed from shelves, with no additional affected items. The total amount recalled so far has reached 80,633 kilograms. The FDA also announced that dimethyl yellow and diethyl yellow will be included as routine testing items.
Chen Huifang, head of the FDA’s Research and Inspection Division, stated that Qianxin’s bean product emulsifier was confirmed to contain the industrial dye dimethyl yellow. For thoroughness, further detailed testing was conducted using the same high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument that previously detected copper chlorophyllin. Unexpectedly, another unknown yellow pigment was found. After nearly two weeks of investigation, it was confirmed yesterday to be "diethyl yellow," which has a structure similar to dimethyl yellow.
Cai Jiafen, head of the FDA’s Adulteration and Illegal Drugs Section, explained that according to domestic and international literature, diethyl yellow, like dimethyl yellow, is an industrial dye that is fat-soluble. It is commonly added to wax oils, printing inks, plastic products, and even gasoline and diesel as an identifying dye.
The FDA warned that if businesses continue to sell the recalled problematic bean products, they will face fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million under the Food Safety Act. Additionally, they may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and fined up to NT$80 million.
**Background Reading / Diethyl Yellow: Excessive Consumption May Cause Cancer**
The chemical name for diethyl yellow is "solvent yellow 56," commonly known as "diethyl." Like dimethyl yellow, it is fat-soluble and used as an industrial dye, primarily in fuels, plastics, inks, or as a pH indicator. There have been no previous records of its use in food, and toxicological research data is lacking. However, frequent consumption may pose a cancer risk.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 9150300. shtml
80,000 Kg of Tainted Dried Tofu Recalled as New Toxin Found
The emulsifier for bean products from Qianxin not only contained dimethyl yellow, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday announced the latest test results, revealing the presence of diethyl yellow. Diethyl yellow is typically added to gasoline, diesel, wax oils, inks, plastics, and other materials as a dye. The FDA stated that there have been no previous cases of diethyl yellow being added to food, making this likely the first global instance.
On December 6 this year, Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety under the Environmental Hygiene Department notified Taiwan that dimethyl yellow had been detected in Dechang dried tofu. The FDA’s investigation found that the source of the dimethyl yellow was Qianxin Industrial Co., which purchased industrial-grade "oil-soluble yellow powder" from Rongmei Chemical Co. and added it to emulsifiers and defoamers for bean products, affecting all downstream manufacturers and their products such as dried tofu and tofu skin. Many well-known dried tofu brands were implicated.
The FDA noted that all products using Qianxin’s bean product emulsifier have been removed from shelves, with no additional affected items. The total amount recalled so far has reached 80,633 kilograms. The FDA also announced that dimethyl yellow and diethyl yellow will be included as routine testing items.
Chen Huifang, head of the FDA’s Research and Inspection Division, stated that Qianxin’s bean product emulsifier was confirmed to contain the industrial dye dimethyl yellow. For thoroughness, further detailed testing was conducted using the same high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument that previously detected copper chlorophyllin. Unexpectedly, another unknown yellow pigment was found. After nearly two weeks of investigation, it was confirmed yesterday to be "diethyl yellow," which has a structure similar to dimethyl yellow.
Cai Jiafen, head of the FDA’s Adulteration and Illegal Drugs Section, explained that according to domestic and international literature, diethyl yellow, like dimethyl yellow, is an industrial dye that is fat-soluble. It is commonly added to wax oils, printing inks, plastic products, and even gasoline and diesel as an identifying dye.
The FDA warned that if businesses continue to sell the recalled problematic bean products, they will face fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million under the Food Safety Act. Additionally, they may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison and fined up to NT$80 million.
**Background Reading / Diethyl Yellow: Excessive Consumption May Cause Cancer**
The chemical name for diethyl yellow is "solvent yellow 56," commonly known as "diethyl." Like dimethyl yellow, it is fat-soluble and used as an industrial dye, primarily in fuels, plastics, inks, or as a pH indicator. There have been no previous records of its use in food, and toxicological research data is lacking. However, frequent consumption may pose a cancer risk.
Source: http://udn. com/ NEWS/ NATIONAL/ NATS6/ 9150300. shtml