The Results Of This New Study Might Jar You…

Steven Hentges, Ph.DTuesday, April 16, 2019 in SAFETY

Scientists know that an essential component of our perception of flavor is the aroma
released from the foods that we eat. Although you may never have taken a chemistryclass, you might know that those aromas consist of a long list of volatile compounds that isreminiscent of an organic chemistry textbook…including aldehydes, alcohols, esters,ketones, quinones, terpenes, thiols, sulfides and amines.
A new study from a group of food scientists in South Dakota and Oregon suggests thatthose aromas can persist for a long time in preserved foods. But thanks to serendipity, thescientists found something else that they weren’t expecting to find.

The food scientists conducting the study hypothesized that the volatile compounds inpreserved foods might comprise a sort of chemical time-capsule that could provide insights
into the nature of the environments where the foods were grown and the processes used topreserve the foods. To test their hypothesis, they developed methodology to analyze
volatile compounds in foods and applied the methodology to a variety of homemadepreserved foods from the early 1950’s.

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Along with volatile compounds from the preserved foods, the scientists unexpectedly
detected BPA at measurable levels in nearly all of the samples they tested. Although thisfinding is surprising, the researchers noted that the age of the samples coincides with thetime when the use of epoxy resins in food packaging began.

Epoxy resins, which are made from BPA, have been used for decades as a protective
coating inside food and beverage cans and the metal lids of glass jars. The purpose of thecoating is to prevent contamination of the contents with corroded metal or, even worse,
dangerous microbes that could infiltrate if the integrity of the package is compromised.

It is quite possible that the lids on the jars of preserved foods were coated with an epoxy
resin, which would explain the presence of trace levels of BPA. The finding also suggeststhat epoxy resin coatings may perform much better than we could have imagined.

Apparently, the preserved foods survived more than 60 years without loss of integrity of thepackaging. The proof of the pudding, so to speak, is a video available as supplementarymaterial with the published paper showing one of the food scientists tasting each of the 31
samples to verify flavor and aroma.

Even though the preserved foods survived and were still edible after more than 60 years,
you might wonder if the trace levels of BPA found in foods then and now are safe. Thatquestion has been extensively examined with numerous studies that measure how much
BPA we are exposed to and whether those levels have the potential to harm us.

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Government agencies worldwide, with responsibility for regulation of food packaging, havereviewed the extensive scientific database and consistently reach a clear conclusion on thesafety of BPA. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration answers the question“Is BPA safe?” with an unambiguous answer – “Yes.”

So what should you do if you find some preserved foods in your pantry that are well pasttheir best-by date? Although the expert food scientists in this new study were willing tosample preserved foods that were more than 60 years old, it might be best not to try this athome. It would be better to discard the outdated foods and head to the grocery store andbuy some fresh – or preserved – food, both of which can be nutritious and healthy.

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