Fake Wasabi-90% composed of chemicals which may endanger your health.
Reporting from Research Center/Taipei, Taiwan
The wasabi we find these days are found to contain many unknown ingredients. Due to the low supply and high cost of the real wasabi, even wasabi found in 5-star hotels are found to be questionable.
The fake wasabi contains high levels of metals. Though they are within safe levels of consumption, doctors have advised against consuming too much of them.
As we were passing through a fish market, we came upon a very strong scent. We found a lady preparing the wasabi mixture for the raw fish. She told us that she uses "special wasabi powder" which costs only $50/bag and they can make up to several hundred bags of wasabi paste. We even found many restaurants using this special wasabi powder to make the wasabi paste. Why is the scent so strong and what does it really contain? We continued our investigations. The conclusion we came to was the fact that there were special ingredients placed in these "special wasabi powder" even though the label simply indicates "wasabi and permitted flavoring and coloring." Experts indicate that the type of wasabi found in Taiwancannot be freeze-dried and made into powder, so it's very likely that these "special wasabi powder" have been made artificially.
A chinese chemist Wu Jia Cheng says "the label only says what its basic ingredients are but will not say what it artificially contains." Our investigative reporters took the "special wasabi powder" to the lab for testings. Lab results show the powder contains copper, lead and chromium. So how are we going to differentiate the real from the fake wasabi? A little iodine tincture will do the trick.
We found a biochemist who says that "After mixing the wasabi powder to make the paste, simply place a drop of iodine tincture onto the paste and wait 1-2 mins. If you see the brown iodine tincture changing its color into a dark blue color, it indicates the presence of starch within the paste. And within this mixture is the addition of the ingredient "propenyl mustard oil" to make the fake wasabi."
Fake wasabi gives a bright green appearance and a very strong pungent smell that will dissipate within 1/2 hr. Real wasabi is of a much lighter green. A toxicologist warned that long term consumption of this fake wasabi can lead to liver and kidney damages. We should avoid at all cost to protect our health.
哇沙米90%為化學製品，多食有害！
調查中心╱台北報導
現在的哇沙米，有很多是不明成分的化學合成物，因為真正的山葵產量少-價格高，甚至連5星級飯店都不保證用天然山葵，這種化學哇沙米部分含有重金屬，雖然沒有超過標準，但醫師提醒不要多吃。
走到傳統漁市場，一陣嗆味撲鼻而來，仔細一看，原來是賣生魚片的攤位在調哇沙米，老闆娘說她用的是山葵粉，因為這種粉便宜又大碗，50元/包，就可以調成好幾百小包，一般市場小吃店甚至餐廳都喜歡用山葵粉，只是用粉調出來的沾醬，為什麼味道特別濃嗆？這裡頭到底含有什麼成分？
記者一路追蹤到食品行，結果店家給的答案很驚人。業者表示：「我是怕說這會加化學的東西，加減都會，我們說實話，因為它這種東西有加工過，妳聽得懂我的意思嗎？」
雖然外包裝上標示裡頭的內容物有山葵、香料以及合成色素，不過專家質疑，這根本就是化學合成的哇沙米，因為台灣的山葵是不可能冷凍乾燥做成粉。
師大化學教授吳家誠指出：「它裡面的標示只標示出原料，並沒有告訴我們實際上是什麼化學成分，它很可能用這些原料，當然實際上要摻一些這種化學的這個成分，才會得到它這種有哇沙米辛辣的那種味道。」
記者拿[山葵][粉]去化驗，結果檢驗出重金屬成分有銅鉛以及砷等，到底真假哇沙米要怎麼分辨？ 其實很簡單，一滴碘酒就可以知道答案。
生化博士陳耀寬指出：「我們調和好之後，拿家裡用的碘酒滴一滴在上面，經過一兩分鐘，這個褐色的碘酒，如果變成[藍黑色]的，表示它裡面有澱粉成分存在，那就是說它是用丙烯芥子油加上澱粉，混合而成的假哇沙米。」
化學合成哇沙米顏色鮮綠、味道濃嗆，[純天然的顏色比較淡]，半小時之後，香辣味就會消失，滴上碘酒也不容易變色。至於山葵粉中的重金屬含量，長庚毒物科主任林杰樑強調，雖然重金屬含量符合標準，但是肝腎不好的人，最好少碰，以免造成身體的負擔。
Imported "wasabi" purchased as tiny cans of dried powder or tubes of paste is all faked up from horseradish.
Fresh real wasabi is sweet, crisp, and vegetal at the front of the tongue and hot at the back, letting you enjoy the flavors before the heat hits; then it dissipates so you can enjoy another bite.
In the market and Japanese restaurants
Product: The so called Wasabi
Price: -
Reasons: The fake wasabi is actually made from horseradish, mustard, corn starch and green food coloring. Long term consumption of this fake wasabi can lead to liver and kidney damages.
Recommendation/Substitute: Try ask for the real thing, doubt that any restaurants in Malaysia serve it.
Source: Forwarded Mail
http://www.chow.com/stories/10033http://cho-tabetai.com/wasabi/
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