Can I eat the hot pot meatballs that cost ten yuan per pound in the supermarket?

The weather has been getting colder recently. When it comes to eating and drinking, people have gradually turned from barbecue to hot pot, oden and other hot foods. Especially the chewy and fragrant meatballs, which make people drool just by looking at them.

Even when cooking soup at home, many people will habitually add a few meatballs to give the soup a "soul" boost. However, the prices of meatballs on the market vary greatly, some are a few yuan, more than ten yuan per catty, and some are dozens of yuan per catty, which is a world of difference. Why is this the case? Can cheap meatballs be eaten? This article will answer your questions and give you some suggestions on eating meatballs.

What is the difference between meatballs of different prices?

Meatballs are a must-have in hotpot. Many people are hesitant when buying meatballs. They feel bad if they buy expensive meatballs, but they dare not eat cheap meatballs, fearing that they are made of bad ingredients.

In fact, the cheap meatballs are not that bad. One of the possible reasons for the price difference is the difference in the raw materials used, such as the different meat content.

1 Cheap meatballs

Most of these meatballs are made from minced meat, starch, soy protein and various food additives, and are basically not made of pure meat. According to the regulations in "SB/T10379-2012 Quick-frozen Prepared Foods", quick-frozen meatballs only need ≥10% pork, chicken, fish and shrimp, and ≥8% beef, mutton and crab meat. Some meatballs are cheap because of their low meat content and low cost.

2 Meatballs at a moderate price

In addition to the possibility of implementing the "Quick Frozen Prepared Food" standard while increasing the pure meat content, the "SB/T10610-2011 Meatballs" standard may also be implemented, which divides the grades of meatballs. As long as the meatballs are produced in accordance with the "Meatballs" implementation standard, the minimum pure meat content is 45%. As the meat content increases, the price will naturally increase.

3. Meatballs with higher prices

Meatballs are at the ceiling level, with a high meat content. For example, the Chaoshan beef balls that everyone eats often are implemented according to the standards of "T/CZBXBZ01-2021 Chaozhou Beef Balls" or "DBS44/005-2016 Shantou Beef Balls". The former stipulates that the beef content must be ≥80%, while the latter stipulates that the beef content must be >90%. Of course, it is not ruled out that some meatballs that implement the standards of "Quickly Frozen Prepared Foods" and "Meatballs" have a meat content of more than 80%, and the price of such meatballs will also be relatively high.

In general, the price of meatballs has a lot to do with the pure meat content in the raw materials. The higher the meat content, the higher the price will generally be. Even so, it does not mean that cheap meatballs cannot be eaten. As long as they are produced by regular manufacturers, they can be eaten.

Should we worry about additives?

Although some meatballs are not expensive, the ingredient list is very long. In addition to the familiar chicken, pork, beef, and fish paste, there are many other names that seem unfamiliar. What are their functions and can we eat them safely?

For example, most meatball products contain sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, and sodium pyrophosphate. These three phosphates are all moisture retainers that can improve the emulsification stability of meatballs, give meatballs a better taste, improve the quality of meatballs, and prevent water loss as the freezing time increases, thereby reducing the water loss rate. [1, 2]

Image source: e-commerce platform

Disodium 5'-ribonucleotide is a flavor enhancer that can improve the flavor of fish balls. If you like the taste of fish balls, it also plays a role here; sodium bicarbonate is a leavening agent and stabilizer that can increase the volume of fish balls and improve their structure; sodium polyacrylate and acetylated distarch phosphate are thickeners that give the fish balls a chewy texture.

Image source: e-commerce platform

Some meatballs are made with gelatin, xanthan gum, carrageenan, etc. to make the meatballs more chewy, tough, and taste better. For example, carrageenan contains strong anionic sulfate groups in its molecular structure, which can complex with proteins to form a good tissue structure, giving the product a delicate taste and smooth cross-section, making it a good meatball additive. [2]

Image source: e-commerce platform

Many people may worry about the impact of food additives on their health. In fact, there is no need to worry too much. Without these food additives, not only will the meatballs taste bad, but you may also get meatballs that have been squeezed during transportation, or they may go bad and smell bad.

You should know that it is unreliable to talk about toxicity without discussing dosage. Regarding the use of food additives, each additive in my country has a clear scope of use and a specified amount, and needs to comply with the "GB2760-2014 Food Additives Use Standard". It is not that the manufacturer can add as much as he wants. As long as it is used in a standardized manner, there is no need to worry about safety issues.

In addition, each food additive has undergone a strict safety risk assessment before use, and each has undergone a full toxicological evaluation to prove that it is harmless to the human body within the prescribed range of use. And in actual application, the dosage used will be more conservative than in experiments. Therefore, we don’t need to worry too much.

Pay attention to these 2 points when eating meatballs

1. Reduce the amount of cooking oil

In addition to the fat in the ingredients themselves, some meatballs also add extra oil or high-fat ingredients, such as pork fat, vegetable oil, shortening, etc., to enrich the taste.

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Such meatballs may have a high fat content, and most of it is saturated fat. Eating too much is not good for cardiovascular health, especially those that sizzle and ooze oil when you bite them. If you eat such meatballs, you should appropriately reduce the amount of cooking oil used throughout the day.

2. Reduce salt intake

Salt not only prolongs the shelf life, but also improves the gelling and stickiness of minced meat,[3] and makes meatballs more delicious. The sodium content of meatballs on the market is generally not low, with some as high as 1009mg/100g. When the sodium content is ≥800mg/100g, it is considered a high-salt food.[4]

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The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that the daily salt intake per person should be controlled at less than 5g. The weight of a meatball is mostly about 20g. It is very easy for most people to eat 5 meatballs at a time, which will consume about 2.5g of salt, reaching 1/2 of the daily salt limit. If you add some hot pot dipping sauce, the salt intake will be even higher. If you don't reduce the amount of salt in other dishes, the salt intake throughout the day will easily exceed the limit. It doesn't matter if it exceeds the limit once or twice. Frequent high-salt diet will increase the risk of high blood pressure and is also bad for stomach health.

How to choose meatballs?

1. Purchase through formal channels

It is best not to buy bulk meatballs on the street. There is no packaging information, and the production date, shelf life, ingredients, implementation standards and other information are unclear, making it difficult to guarantee safety. In addition, unpackaged bulk meatballs may also be contaminated and spoiled. It is best to choose regular supermarkets or flagship stores of well-known brands to buy them.

2 Look at the implementation standards

If you want to buy meatballs with a high meat content, you can directly buy meatballs that meet the standards of SB/T10610, DB44/005, and T/CZBXBZ01. You can also check whether the meat content is marked on the packaging. For example, the one in the picture below is marked with a beef content of ≥95%.

Image source: e-commerce platform

3 Look at the nutrition facts table

Compare more and choose one that is high in protein, low in fat and low in sodium, which will be relatively healthier.

Summarize

Although meatballs are delicious, most of them are high in calories, so don’t be too greedy! It should be noted that when eating hot pot, you cannot eat the meatballs immediately after they float in the pot. At this time, they are not cooked through yet, so you need to wait patiently for a few more minutes!

References

[1] Wang Chan, Wang Huiya, Shao Qiong. Effects of three phosphates on sensory quality and water holding capacity of fish balls[J]. Food Safety Guide, 2017, 000(032): 68-71.

[2] Wang Qiangyi. Effects of different additives on the quality characteristics of meatballs [J]. Journal of Hunan University of Arts and Sciences: Natural Science Edition, 2020, 32(4): 50-5459 [3] Sun Jingxin, Lei Tiantian, Ding Cuiyun, Luan Xiangxiu, & Li Shaolin. (2009). Effects of different formulas on the quality of chicken meatballs. Meat Research (3), 4. [4] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents [M]. People's Medical Publishing House. 2022

Author: Xue Qingxin Member of Chinese Nutrition Society Registered Nutritionist Health Manager Public Nutritionist

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center