Monday Moaning

This is a reblog from:Angies Grapevine

Your Banana May Contain……..

It’s becoming harder and harder  to know whats in and on our food!

Soy sauce may contain gluten;  ice cream may have tree nuts in it, salad mix may be tainted with E. coli.

But there are some foods that are so pure, so uncomplicated, that they are just what they are, right?

Like bananas.

NOT!

As Science Daily reports, scientists have come up with a new spray they say will prevent bananas from ripening into brown mush for almost two extra weeks.

What’s the big deal you ask?

Well, let me tell you,  the spray is made from chitosan, which is derived from the shells of shrimp and crabs.

Can you imagine the simple banana carrying a warning label “This product may contain shellfish byproducts.” If sprayed this lovely yellow, handy fruit would be  off-limits to hard-core vegans and to people who suffer from shellfish allergies.

The chitosan-based spray is not available commercially yet, so no bananas are being treated.

Personally I think they should leave well enough alone, bananas are great just the way they are, when they get too ripe their great for baking, smoothies and face masks

Opinion:

I agree with Angie,they just can’t leave well enough alone.

One of the purest foods and they are going to stuff it up just like the rest.

It appears that chitosan is already in our world:

“Chitosan has a number of commercial and possible biomedical uses. It can be used in agriculture as a seed treatment and biopesticide, helping plants to fight off fungal infections. In winemaking it can be used as a fining agent, also helping to prevent spoilage. In industry, it can be used in a self-healing polyurethane paint coating. In medicine, it may be useful in bandages to reduce bleeding and as an antibacterial agent; it can also be used to help deliver drugs through the skin.

More controversially, chitosan has been asserted to have use in limiting fat absorption, which would make it useful for dieting, but there is evidence against this.

Other uses of chitosan that have been researched include use as a soluble dietary fiber.” – Wikipedia

From WebMD:

“Chitosan is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth short-term (up to six months) or applied to the skin. When taken by mouth, it might cause mild stomach upset, constipation, or gas.”

Warnings on the same site for pregnant and breastfeeding women, also for people with shellfish allergies. If you take warfarin, don’t take chitosan as it could increase the blood thinning.

POSSIBLY SAFE:

That means they don’t know. If you read about the myriad of uses, the fact that they don’t know is worrying.

Chitosan absorbs fat. Many things we eat/take are absorbed by the fat, if the fat is not present then vitamin deficiencies (A, D & E) may occur; similarly oral contraceptives may be less effective.