{"id":21858,"date":"2023-07-11T09:17:35","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T07:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=21858"},"modified":"2023-07-11T14:57:01","modified_gmt":"2023-07-11T12:57:01","slug":"the-difference-between-processed-and-hyper-processed-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/the-difference-between-processed-and-hyper-processed-food\/","title":{"rendered":"The difference between processed and hyper-processed food"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no objective reason to equate food processing with unhealthiness. But, some specific aspects may<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0be detrimental to health, for example, by generating trans fatty acids or reducing the micronutrient availability. But when it comes to cured meats like\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>ham, salami, and sausages,<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0the processing part is of little concern.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Oxford Dictionary defines \u201cprocessing\u201d as \u201cperforming a series of mechanical or chemical operations on something to change or preserve it\u201d. Some processing steps are harmless or may even be beneficial, for instance, to allow for\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>preservation<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0or to enhance the bioavailability of micronutrients or other\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>beneficial compounds<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. Binary oppositions such as \u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span>processed\/- vs. natural<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u201c, of which one term is more highly valued than the other, have been exposed by post-structural theory as mere\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cultural constructs<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0rather than foundational categories we can confidently rely on.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Processed foods<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0are made with two or three ingredients and processing they have undergone \u00a0may be as simple as as cooking and storage. This category includes, for example, canned vegetables and legumes, cured meat, bread, beer and wine.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>we must not confuse processed foods with hyper-processed foods<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, such as vegan burgers, where\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>additives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0such as stabilizers or preservatives are added after a highly\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>industrial transformation process<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0mimicking real foods\u2019 sensory qualities or masking undesirable sensory qualities. The consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>fake plant-based meat<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>has been associated<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0with health problems, higher mortality and cardiovascular diseases.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is not the case for\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cured meat<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>is just processed<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and where adding substances to foods for easy storage is\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>not a chemical or industrial invention<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0but an ancient tradition. The use of\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>salt<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0was and still is a way to preserve meat and inhibit the growth of bacteria. Examples of adding substances to food include adding a juice, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>lemon<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, to prevent the blackening of a vegetable; using the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>smoke from wood<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, especially ones rich in resin; and, in the specific case of meat, using salt. The ancient Romans observed that\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>saltpetre<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0improved the production of cured meats and sausages, avoiding the browning of the meat and preventing the proliferation of unwanted bacteria.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

#ProcessedFoods are not #HyperProcessedFoods, such as #vegan burgers, where #additives, #stabilizers and #preservatives are added after a highly #IndustrialTransformation process. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, some ingredients used to produce meat products have sensory, technological, and safety<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>advantages<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which are mostly overlooked.. For instance,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>nitrate<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>in fermented meats<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0leads to both colour and flavour development and enhanced\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>food safety<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

P-It is precisely why <\/span><\/span><\/span>nitrates and nitrites<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0are added in controlled quantities in producing some\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cured meats<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. In 2017, the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0confirmed in a\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>scientific opinion<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0to the European Commission that the levels of nitrites and nitrates added to food are safe and that \u201cin most\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>processed meat products<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, the addition of nitrite or nitrate is necessary to\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>prevent the development and production of toxins for C. botulinum<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u201c.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to EFSA, the existing safety levels for nitrites and nitrates intentionally added to meat and other foods sufficiently\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>protect consumers<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. Consumer exposure to nitrites and nitrates <\/span><\/span><\/span>as food additives<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0is safe for all population groups. Community rules have also defined the maximum quantity of <\/span><\/span><\/span>150 milligrammes of nitrite per kilogramme of product<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>150 milligrammes of nitrate per kilogramme<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. In addition to being safe, these values are extremely low compared to the nitrates legally allowed in vegetables naturally rich in this substance. It should be noted that\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>nitrates are a component of many plant foods<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>spinach and lettuce<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which are ten times higher, around\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>2000-7000 milligrammes per kilogramme<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. Lettuce contains 3 grammes per kg for example.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On top of this,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>it has been shown<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0that these substances have specific\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>physiological functions<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0in the human body, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>vasodilation\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>and<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>blood pressure control<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. Some antioxidants, such as\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>vitamin C<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, inhibit the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. For this reason, they are often\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>added to nitrates and nitrites in sausages<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0to take advantage of their\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>protective effect<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>refrigerators<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>microbiological knowledge<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, compliance with\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>hygiene rules<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, and exploiting the bacteriostatic properties of\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>spices and herbs<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0such as garlic, pepper and chilli, we can continue to produce safe\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>cured meat<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0using very\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>few preservatives<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. In the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) hams like Parma ham, for example,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>the prolonged maturing process makes nitrates unnecessary<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which are no longer used in these products.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So, how can we distinguish a processed versus a\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>hyper-processed product<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>? Quite simply, by spending a few minutes\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>reading the ingredients on the labels<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>, it is immediately possible to identify an ultra-processed food rich in salt, sugar, saturated fats, preservatives, thickeners, dyes and various additives such as those in modern\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>junk food<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>. In general, nutritionists recommend eating<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0real food\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>and avoiding hyper-processed imitations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Source: European Livestock Voice<\/a>S<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Processed foods are not like hyper-processed foods, such as vegan burgers, where additives, stabilizers and preservatives are added after a highly industrial transformation process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21859,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[681],"tags":[5480,5477,3766,5483,5491],"class_list":["post-21858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-nutrition","tag-european-food-safety-authority","tag-food-processing","tag-hyper-processed-foods","tag-junk-food-en","tag-processed-foods"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t