Many people are aware of the fact that gelatin is found in many types of candy by now, even if the ingredient and its manufacturing method have caused many to frown over the years.
Namely, it is extracted from waste products from pigs or cattle.
“Gelatin is a natural, soluble protein. It can be made from the bones, hides, skins, ligaments and tendons of animals. Gelatin, which forms a gel, is used as a thickener, but is not considered an additive,” it reads The Swedish Food Agency homepage.
The gelatin is made by boiling the body parts in water and acids. About 35 percent of all types of candy contain gelatin, Råd och Rön states.
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Photo: Bernd Wüstneck/TTE substances in loose candy
What not as many people are aware of is that some popular pieces of candy contain wax and residues of lice.
Råd and Rön have reviewed the contents of 275 different loose candies and which added E-numbers they contain. Only additives that are EU-approved may be used in foodstuffs.
The additive category includes substances that we normally do not eat as food.
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Sweets containing carnauba wax (E903)
E903 is wax extracted from the leaves of the carnauba palm. It is used, among other things, as car wax and for the surface treatment of apples, and occurs in 28 percent of the picking candy.
Here are some sweets that contain E903:
Source: Advice and findings
Genre picture. Photo: Martina Holmberg/TTCandies that contain Carmine (E120)
The dye E120 is produced by lice and occurs in 23 percent of all candies, according to Råd och Rön. These are females of the cochineal scale that are grown on cacti, dried and then ground into a red powder.
E120 is not only used in sweets, but is found in a number of different foods – including to give Campari its red color and to give color to red lipsticks, according to Allas.
Here are some candies that contain E120:
Source: Advice and Findings, Everyone’s
Genre picture. Photo: Mariam Butt/TT
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