A boy fell sick after consuming “smoke biscuits” at a shop in Karnataka last week. The shop owner in Davanagere city had their license revoked for selling biscuits made with liquid nitrogen, and the authorities also promptly shut down the shop.
NDTV news
This was the shocking news that has gone viral lately.
What are smoke biscuits and why should we not eat them? Let’s find out.
Smoke biscuits are regular biscuits dipped in liquid nitrogen, a chemical used in most biological labs to store their cells at very low temperatures. As a coolant, it can cause severe throat, mouth, oesophagus, and stomach injuries when ingested directly. To understand its ill effects, let’s understand what the chemical is all about, how it can affect us, and what the hype (about liquid nitrogen in foods) is all about.
What is liquid nitrogen?
It is a chemical used for freezing food to prevent the growth of bacteria and thereby avoid food spoilage. Due to its low boiling point of -170 deg C, it immediately evaporates upon contact with air.
What’s the hype all about?
It is not just biscuits but liquid nitrogen has been incorporated in a wide range of foods. Customers are fascinated by the smoky effects after they inject the food. Foods incorporated with this chemical come with different names like smoky ice cream, fire paan, or dragon’s breath. They are especially sold in small fairs where customers are attracted to the smoky effect it creates.
Where can we draw the line between safe and deleterious?
As mentioned earlier, liquid nitrogen immediately evaporates upon contact with air. Complete evaporation of the liquid will not cause problems and is considered safe (relatively) for consumption! Both liquid nitrogen (when used for preparing food) and the vapor effect are completely safe. However, the problem arises when liquid nitrogen is directly ingested into our system. It is as dangerous as acid.
What does it do to our body?
Directly drinking liquid nitrogen will burn your mouth (literally)! Liquid nitrogen corrodes the epithelial layer of our oral cavity and creates a burning sensation in our mouth. Once it enters the oesophagus from the mouth, it perforates the food pipe and intestine. Since it is a coolant (temperatures ranging from -196 to -360 deg C), it causes a reaction similar to frostbite. Due to this, it causes bowel perforation or asphyxation. It can burn your skin and damage to your skin through a process called necrosis.
What does the FDA say?
The Food and Drug Administration claims liquid nitrogen is used for a wide range of processes like preservation, rapid freezing of foods (like ice creams), processing dry herbs and spices, and rapidly chilling beverages. Interestingly, there is yet another usage of liquid nitrogen and that is for customer appeal and to enhance the presentation of the food.
Previous mishaps with liquid nitrogen
In 2007, a man from Haryana, India burnt a hole in his stomach after consuming a cocktail mixed with liquid nitrogen. This resulted in the removal of nearly half his stomach.
A viral TikTok trend in Indonesia resulted in teenagers getting sick with a stomach ache, nausea, and food poisoning after trying to eat Dragon’s Breath, a cereal puff mixed with liquid nitrogen.
How do we stop the misuse of liquid nitrogen?
Liquid nitrogen is an important chemical in a microbiology lab for the cryopreservation of cells. However, it has been misused by incorporating it in different snacks and desserts just for fun to make it look attractive. Although it is declared safe for consumption when evaporated, a lot of food stalls directly dip the snacks in the chemical and this results in its direct ingestion. Stringent laws should ban the use (misuse) of liquid nitrogen in the food industry and purely be used for medicinal purposes.
Take home message
It is shocking how foods laced with liquid nitrogen have been approved for sale in the markets. Although there has been no study conducted on the ill effects of liquid nitrogen, the fact that there are no warning labels on foods with liquid nitrogen is concerning.
So, you see, both smoking and eating smoke biscuits are injurious to health!
Eat healthy, stay healthy!
It was informative… Thanks Gayu
Thanks for the informative share!