Some veggie burgers found to contain harmful substance, hexane, used to process soy

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Daily News

Think you're being healthy by choosing a veggie burger instead of red meat? Think again.

In an effort to make their products as low-fat as possible, many veggie burger manufacturers are turning to a potentially harmful chemical, according to an investigation by the non-profit Cornucopia Institute.

Most non-organic veggie burgers contain hexane, a neurotoxin that's also a petroleum by-product of gasoline refining. Hexane is listed as a hazardous air pollutant with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to the report, which called hexane the "dirty little secret of the 'natural' soy foods industry."

To keep down the fat content of energy bars, veggie burgers and other products, food manufacturers submerge soybeans in a bath of hexane to separate them into soy oil, protein and fiber.

Products labeled "organic" aren't allowed to contain any hexane - but foods that are less than 100% organic, such as those labeled "made with organic ingredients," may contain the chemical.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/04/14/2010-04-14_some_veggie_burgers_found_to_contain_harmful_substance_hexane_used_to_process_so.html

[slackmaster]

1. You can't put organic solvents in organic food?

:crazy:

[boppers]

37. Ah, chemistry jokes!

Thanks for the giggle!

[slackmaster]

50. I want to smoke some dimethyl chicken wire now

:nuke:

[UndertheOcean]

2. Fuck !

[dhill926]

3. I second your Fuck......"Fuck"

[KaryninMiami]

8. Three fucks for me. Geeeez= talk about depressing and disgusting.

So disappointed. Just posted on Facebook- maybe if enough of us complain, they will do the right thing? Maybe?

[Zorra]

28. Count me in, too. Corporate losers willl do anything for a buck.

Fuck.

[superconnected]

29. Count me in too. I'm a vegetarian who eats veggie burgers often.

[RainMickey]

31. I wouldn't give the carcinogenic nature of hexane a 2nd thought. n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

4. wunnerful....just fkin' wunnerful...

[Warpy]

5. Yeah? The organic stuff tastes better

and isn't pure mush in the middle.

Gotta watch those weasel words, though, and "made with" can also mean they made it with some trash, too, which is the case here.

A better bet is to avoid the stuff that shrieks "low fat!" because you know they had to get rid of the naturally occurring fat somehow.

The best approach is to experiment with making your own. Some of mine would knock your socks off and my lentil loaf has been known to make grown men grow maudlin as they talk about what great cooks their grannies were.

The best thing about knowing how to cook is knowing exactly what went into your food.

[Trillo]

16. Oh?

Most every time I eat something with some types of soy in it, I gag, and sometimes will throw up if I don't quickly spit that crap out.

Recently some dear neighbors moved, and they gave me some meatballs, already opened. They were just going to throw the stuff away. Now typically I make my own meatballs (been cutting it with pureed beans) but nobody likes to waste food. So I took their food they generously offered. Ate one, and told my partner that these had soy in them. She didn't believe me. Then she looked at the package ingredients. Sure enough. Soy. Soy protien powder or flour, hydrogenated soybean oil. (I never buy any kind of hydrogenated oil).

What's curious is that items like tofu don't bother me at all. I wonder if I'm tasting the hexane.

[Warpy]

18. Some people flat out don't like soybeans

and I suspect you're one of them. Tofu pretty much eliminates the objectionable flavor of the whole bean.

I have the same problem with liver, just can't get it past my throat, not even cut into little pieces and swallowed with liquid like pills.

In the meantime, try bean balls with either lentils or tofu. One thing that gives them a meatier taste is finely chopped raisins. Another thing would be a pinch of allspice. Some soaked bulgur can give them a little extra bite.

Knowing how to cook gives you amazing control over what you eat.

FWIW, I've never found veggie meatballs I've particularly liked. Quorn balls have great texture, but the manufacturer needs to discover a little thing called seasoning. I'll use them when I'm in one of those I don't want to cook moods, but I always get a little annoyed at the manufacturer, knowing how much better they could be with some oregano, onion, and garlic.
And that pinch of allspice.

[Trillo]

19. Thanks for the bean tips.

I was never desiring to eat many beans due to the flatulence they caused. One day I found a patent that said how to de-saccarify them, how to remove the oligosaccarides, which is one cause of the gas, if not the only one. The patent was hard to follow, but nevertheless I persisted in studying it. Basically it involves soaking the dry beans before cooking them. How much of oligosaccarides that are removed are measured with a refractometer (didn't know what kind of cooking instrument that was until I got a handheld one). After working with the beans a few times, it seems that it usually involves four water replacements to get the refractometer reading down to zero. Then the beans are cooked (or they can be dried again and cooked later).

No more gas!

I've probably used enough keywords that if someone is interested, they could search and find and also read through that somewhat cryptically written patent.


Have you ever heard of "seitan"?
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Seitan-1/

Based upon highly concentrated wheat gluten, so not good for some folks who must avoid, otherwise it looks interesting to try. A bean mixed with a grain is supposed to be a complete set of amino acids. Might make great faux meatballs. One day I will try it.

I've been using pureed garbanzo beans to cut real meat, and I make the meatballs as a very large meatloaf, much faster to make that way, but they end up as "square" meat"balls"(!) due to using a knife after cooking them. Make them once per month, and freeze for later use.

[Warpy]

20. Seitan is very good

The texture is very close to meat but the flavor is not. I have fooled people into thinking they were eating leftover roast beef by making a sauce flavored with Marmite to go on top of it.

The best part of making your own seitan is the first rinse water, which should be saved in a jar and allowed to settle for about 4 hours. Pour as much clear water out of the jar as you can, then pour the thick starch into a baking sheet with side ridges and bake in a slow oven until it is completely dry. If you have used whole wheat, it will be the best bran cracker or bran flake cereal you've ever had. The plain starch cracker is also good, although not as nutritious.

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Quorn hails from the spice shy side of things...

However, we are on a huge kick of using their 'ground beef' style for tacos and burritos, hitting it with fresh salsa and spices during the warming process. Yummy.

[teknomanzer]

32. Low fat doesn't mean shit...

Guess what? A bag of sugar has no fat... Low fat does not mean low calories. Besides that fats are not an evil substance that will cause you to gain 100 pounds and become diabetic - thats what HFCS is for.

[tomhayes]

6. Yeah - veggie burgers are bad for you .. Just kill/eat an animal

This seems like one of those stories where 22 Republicans get caught having an affair and then one Democrat is accused of an affair and things suddenly become "the same, good and bad on both sides" type of story.

And what the F is a "potentially harmful chemical." Can't they figure out if it's harmful before running a story like this??

[dipsydoodle]

11. See here for Hexane

and make what you will of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane

[dana_b]

71. in one area it says that

"The long-term toxicity of n-hexane in humans is well known<6> Extensive peripheral nervous system failure is known to occur in humans chronically exposed to levels of n-hexane ranging from 400 to 600 ppm, with occasional exposures up to 2,500 ppm."

That makes me not worry too much as the average person is not chronically exposed to hexane however:

Use in food processing
According to a report by the Cornucopia Institute, hexane is used to extract oil from grains as well as protein from soy, to such an extent that in 2007, grain processors were responsible for more than two-thirds of hexane emissions in the United States. <9> The report also pointed out that the hexane can persist in the final food product created; in a sample of processed soy, the oil contained 10ppm, the meal 21ppm and the grits 14ppm hexane. <9> The adverse health effects seem specific to n-hexane; they are much reduced or absent for other isomers. Therefore, the food oil extraction industry, which relied heavily on hexane, has been considering switching to other solvents, including isohexane.<10><11><12>

So if they are considering switching to another solvent, they must know that this stuff is fairly dangerous. i think we all need to cook more or buy organic.

[druidity33]

7. your ground beef t'aint so pure neither...

"On December 30th, an article written by New York Times reporter brought to light some information about ground beef that caught most of us by surprise. It seems that a process developed by Beef Products, Inc. converts beef scrap and waste into a filler that is added back into ground beef. Since the scrap typically contains higher level of bacteria than the higher quality cuts of meat, the process uses ammonia gas to kill organisms such as e-Coli and salmonella.

According to Eldon Roth, founder and owner of Beef Products, Inc., 70% of the ground beef sold in the United States contains this filler and Roth hopes to grow that number to 100%. Current major customers of this filler product include Burger King, McDonalds, major grocery chains, and the federal school lunch program. If you saw the movie "Food, Inc." you saw a clip of Beef Products operations and Mr. Roth's comments.
Identifying Ground Beef with Ammonia-Processed Filled Added

That's the problem. There is currently no requirement for the labeling of this filler product so you have no way of knowing if the ground beef you are buying at your local supermarket is pure beef or if it is a combination of ground beef and filler product."

http://www.buffaloberries.com/news/2-announcements/196-is-your-ground-beef-100-pure.html

and here:
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/01/04/ill-have-a-burger-and-fries-with-everything-hold-the-ammonia/



:shrug:

[FailureToCommunicate]

9. With or without hexane, Monsanto controls the soy bean crop thanks to folks like

good ol' Clarence Thomas.

Everyone should see "FOOD, Inc." (Warning: you may not what to see it around mealtime...)

[4lbs]

10. Hexane is also used in making infant formula and baby food!

http://isiria.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/hexane-a-neurotoxic-chemical-used-in-producing-baby-food/

http://www.cornucopia.org/2008/01/infant-formula-manufacturers-again-under-ethical-cloud/


http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1423908

<snip>
In 2003, an explosion occurred downstream from the Martek Biosciences manufacturing facility where hexane is used to extract DHA used in infant formula products. Hexane is a highly explosive chemical, and a Kentucky State Fire Marshal concluded it was the release of hexane from the Martek manufacturing facility that caused the explosion.
<snip>

[dana_b]

72. in little developing bodies

I wonder what this can do to them. Damn. We really know so little about what we eat.

[Dangerously Amused]

12. Another vote here for people to see "FOOD, INC."

[flvegan]

21. Which, BTW, if one has Netflix can watch it streaming at any time.

[GreenTea]

13. Don't eat ANY Soy products - unless you're sure the products are certified organic-Why? Because

commercial soy products are heavily sprayed with chemicals pesticides as well as chemical fertilizer in the soil, And genetically engineered Roundup-tolerant soybean....these giant industrialized corporate farms do not care one fuck about the consumers health, like all corporations it's ALL about profits.

I certainly wouldn't eat or drink any soy products that were sitting on my grocery store shelf or even my health food store or co-ops that were not certified organic, 100% (meaning, no chemical pesticides, spraying, weed killers or chemical fertilizers or even "hexane" used).

Round-up (a weed killer) will not kill the soybean plant and is used as a farming technique by many of these unscrupulous corporate farmers to keep profits high, and of course it's legal to spray that shit.

So if you're eating soy products and you're secure in thinking your putting good & better foods into to your body...you better check it out for yourself.

ANY foods that come from corporate commercial farms or corporate manufactured processed foods or even corporate non processed foods one can count on to be complete chemical filled shit....Buy local, by organic or grow some of your favorites....I know it's not even necessary to mention the garbage sold at fast food restaurants and the chemical filled meats from the chemical shit that is fed to the animals.

Yes, do rent the recent movie/documentary FOOD INC. on DVD. (Lots of special features as well on the DVD). It's very entertaining, informative and shocking.

Certainly these corporate products won't kill you right away but they will produce disease, obesity and health problems down the line...that some doctor later will prescribe some chemical pill to keep you alive, that's not quality living...Stay away from corporate produced foods as much as you possibly can because again, it's ONLY about shortcuts, cutting corners for maximum profits by these farming corporations & giant food conglomerates.

[kimmerspixelated]

25. Good info, thanks!

I have been using ground crumbles that are soyless, but veggie. I will definitely look at the packaging!

[Dr. Jonas Venture]

14. By my calculations, you'd have to

eat about 28.5 grams of hexane processed soy powder to get the same amount of hexane in one lungful of air that's at the OSHA permissible limit for hexane safety, which is ten times the recommended limit. Plus, eating it versus inhaling it means it would be absorbed more slowly, and your liver may be able to take care of some of it. So, I don't think it would be dangerous to eat hexane processed soy in normal consumption quantities. The report linked to in the article gives 21 ppm as the maximum rate of hexane found in hexane processed soy powder, which is surprising given the volatility of hexane. I would have thought that it would evaporate thoroughly from the powder. However, the levels of hexane emissions associated with the processing sound horrible, and I'm rather surprised that processing food with hexane is permitted. So, I don't think it's a doomsday issue for those out there who like to eat soy products, you're not going to get cancer and die any more than the rest of us, but it is something which sounds like it should be avoided simply to reduce the industrial use of volatile hydrocarbons and their inevitable release into the environment at large.

[superconnected]

30. Welcome to DU Dr. Jonas. I enjoyed your post,.

[KittyWampus]

48. IMO, it's a cumulative effect. It's not just the hexane. It's the hexane, the traces of pesticide

and herbicide from growing the soy and every other food we ingest. Plus all the other chemical additives in our food. And all the chemicals in our clothing, carpet, furniture, lawns etc

[onehandle]

15. If you're going to buy veggie burgers, why not go the full mile and buy organic.

That's what we do.

[Codeine]

17. Not all hexanes are as dangerous as n-hexane.

Most manufactures of food products are moving away from n-hexane and are using the much safer isohexane.

[customerserviceguy]

22. As a meat eater

I have to say, I'm mildly amused by this. Seems the tofu crowd thought that "The Happy Earthshoe Holistic Food Company" would always be PC. I've long figured that all the labels they used to sell the health-food nuts on things were bogus.

[tomhayes]

24. That article worked it "magic" on you

Now you think Veggie burgers will kill you, so why not eat meat??

This article SUGEGST that SOME POTENTIALLY HARMFUL chemical is used in SOME process.

Until there's a PROOF or a study strongly suggesting that it's harmful then you should assume it isn't.

False "balance" placates people who thing "health food is a scam".

[tburnsten]

26. Some of us just like meat

After all, there's a reason we humans have been eating it our entire existence.

[customerserviceguy]

27. I'm not worried about either

beef burgers or veggie burgers killing me. It's just that I love watching the smug veggie burger eaters have to go into overdrive, fretting over their choices, as well as fretting over the choices I make for myself.

What's that German word? Oh, yes, schadenfreude.

[tomhayes]

33. The German word is DUMKOFF

Do you think Al Gore was "smug" too??

Go join a tea party.

[appal_jack]

35. *-Not Quite Tom

*Dummkopf

Always better to spell properly whilst climbing onto a high horse and delivering scoldings...

-app

[customerserviceguy]

43. Sometimes he comes across that way

and he has been able to laugh at himself for it, which is more than what I see from the tofu eaters that I've known.

[Codeine]

34. You're a remarkably unpleasant person.

I don't fret over what you eat, nor do any of my veggie friends. We happily eat what we want and couldn't care less about what you eat.

And none of us give a rat's ass about some miniscule amount of hexane that may or may not be in a veggie burger -- fret-free, sir.

[flvegan]

36. There's the DOB card!

Well played, friend.

[boppers]

41. Sounds like you have good friends. I have met militant, pompous, eaters of many stripes...

For some reason, food topics really strike a nerve in some folks, leading to reactions fairly similar to religion...

Hm...

Do you have, perhaps, an Athiest Bingo Card? A Christian Bingo Card? Heck, I could see a whole line of these.... we could practically print them up for chronic DU debates!

Circumcision Bingo cards for everyone!

[Codeine]

42. There's the libertarian bingo card, and the creationist card.

[customerserviceguy]

44. You hit it on the head

It's like a religion. Or, perhaps it more closely resembles the cultural war between those who are pro-gun, and those who are anti-gun. The extremists on each side are the ones who are caricatured by the other side.

[customerserviceguy]

46. Then you and your friends

are better people than some of the vegetarian/vegans that I've met. I guess if I worked or lived next to you, I might not even know that you were of that lifestyle choice, I suppose that the militants have been the most vocal, and therefore the ones I think of most often when discussing this issue.

By the way, I will admit that the saying in the upper right hand corner is one I've used perhaps a bit too often.

[superconnected]

52. That Bingo card is awesome - THANKS!

[dana_b]

74. lol

thank you for being more pleasant than what I was thinking!!

love the bingo card. :thumbsup:

[K8-EEE]

40. "smug veggie burger eater"

That is bullshit. I have a daughter who was so shy about being a vegetarian when she first started college. She would very politely "no thank you" stuff and somebody would say "oh forget her she's a smug vegan." I call total bullshit on your assumption that anybody who doesn't eat meat deserves disrespect!

[customerserviceguy]

45. I never put it that way

I acknowledge that there are people who don't eat meat who are perfectly fine with others making their own choices, most of them are sensible enough not to take this report too seriously. As many here have pointed out, it has its flaws, and looks pretty suspiciously like some sort of sensationalistic reporting.

However, I do know food fanatics that would lather themselves up into a tizzy over this, just like they did when their precious spinach was giving people the same e-coli that meat has done. They're really no better than the meat eaters who ridiculed your daughter.

Purists on either side, who need to feel that everybody is with them in order to justify their lifestyles, are the ones who I like to see flummoxed.

[DatManFromNawlins]

49. No, it clearly isn't.

If she isn't being smug about being a vegetarian or vegan, then it doesn't apply to her.

Do they not teach English in this country anymore?

[pecwae]

47. How special you are.

Not.

[catgirl]

57. the "smug veggie burger eaters"?

Funny, it's usually the meat-eaters who fret about the vegetarians. There's always one at every
gathering who has to start a "debate" over the vegetarians personal food choices. And you are
one of those threatened persons, apparently.

The companies who use harmful ingredients in their products don't care if you are a vegetarian,
or a meat-eater. I think that's the real story here.

[SOS]

70. What fretting?

Just buy 100% certified organic.
Problem solved.

[boppers]

39. Not all the labels. See below post.

A bunch of the labels, yes, but there are standards (which the article doesn't understand).

[NashVegas]

61. I'm Not Exactly Amused

Veggie burgers are like near beer. If you want the flavor and shape of a burger, and something with a texture kind of like a burger, have a damn burger already.

I buy hormone-free, anti-biotic free as much as possible.

[Ignis]

64. How DARE people form turkey into a patty, too! Right?

Right?

[boppers]

38. Totally wrong on the labels. "Organic" doesn't mean shit: 95% Organic and 5% pesiticide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_Organic#North_America
"In the US, federal organic legislation defines three levels of organics. Products made entirely with certified organic ingredients and methods can be labeled "100% organic". Products with at least 95% organic ingredients can use the word "organic". Both of these categories may also display the USDA organic seal. A third category, containing a minimum of 70% organic ingredients, can be labeled "made with organic ingredients""

[kestrel91316]

51. I don't buy highly processed stuff like this. I'll process my OWN food, thank you.

And I'll do so without the organic solvents.

[Love Bug]

53. Why eat fake meat at all?

I thought the whole point of eating vegetarian is to eat more naturally and healthfully. Soy burgers and other fake meat products seem to be highly processed, so I don't get why vegans would be interested in them in the first place.

Then again, I'm an omnivore, so I don't buy fake meat anyway. :shrug:

[Raine]

56. I'm a vegetarian and I agree

I don't care for the taste of meat enough to eat either the real or the fake. The only time I've ate fake meat is in a restuarant where the only choices are real or fake cause they don't offer stuff I like such as grilled cheese sandwiches.

[Codeine]

58. Because I like burgers.

I grew up eating meat. Being able to eat a burger that doesn't mean a dead cow satisfies my dietary and moral peculiarities and my tummy.

And not all veggie burgers are super-processed stuff. My go-to veg patty is Trader Joe's Masala burger -- it's as simple as can be.

Potatoes, canola oil, carrots, green beans, water, bread crumbs, bell peppers, onions, corn, salt, sugar, ginger, spices, turmeric, mustard seeds.

So damned good.
:9

[Love Bug]

62. Those do sound good

If you can find a substitute that doesn't have an ingredient list from Monsanto, then why not. It's the highly processed stuff I don't understand.

[Ignis]

66. If you like TJ's masala burger...

Try Costco's Don Lee Farms veggie burgers. Lower in protein than the Boca-type burgers, but similar in taste and texture to the TJ's "mushy" masala burger. They also crisp up very nicely.

Noms ahoy!

[Ignis]

63. If by "fake meat" you mean tofu and seitan, they needn't be heavily processed.

You can make either one in your own kitchen with a minimum of fuss, mess, or rare/unusual ingredients.

[KurtNYC]

73. Processed food is processed food.

I like the nutritionist who said, "Never buy food which makes a health claim on the label." ANd one better, don't buy food that has a label, or burgers in a box.

[dana_b]

75. we don't dislike the taste of meat

I used to love a good steak. That is something i get asked all the time. "Why eat a "fake meat" product if you're a vegetarian?" It's for other reasons that we became vegetarians, including health. The "whole point" doesn't just include health though (as you know).

As for eating an unhealthy veggie burger - you do have a point. Everything in moderation or rarely. We do eat them on occasion (usually when it's warm outside - bbq weather) and other people are eating their burgers and hot dogs. I also eat candy and cake on occasion which I know is not great for me. No one is perfect!

[eppur_se_muova]

54. Not really the big deal it's being made out to be.

While we need to be vigilant about foreign chemicals in our food, this is one alarm that need not be taken too seriously. See my comments in an ealier thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=85628&mesg_id=85634

[baldguy]

55. Hexane and soyburgers: a retraction

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/15/hexane-and-soyburger.html

[catgirl]

59. Corn and canola are also listed in the report

Hexane is used to extract
oil from grains such as corn, soy, and cano-
la. It is a cost-effective and highly efficient
method for separating whole soybeans into
soy oil, protein, and fiber. In conventional
food processing, soybeans are immersed in
what the industry calls a “hexane bath” be-
fore they are further processed into ingredi-
ents such as oil, soy protein isolate, or tex-
turized soy protein (TVP). The soy protein
ingredients in most nonorganic foods such
as vegetarian burgers and nutrition bars are
processed with the use of hexane.
hexane is a petrochemical solvent used in conventional food
processing. it is strictly prohibited in organic food processing, but
common in “natural” soy foods.

[catgirl]

60. List of good and bad burgers (from the study)

No hexane-extracted soy ingredients used:

Boca Burgers “Made with organic soy”
Helen’s Kitchen
Morningstar “Made with organic”
Superburgers by Turtle Island
Tofurky
Wildwood


hexane-extracted soy ingredients used:

Amy’s Kitchen
Boca Burger, conventional
Franklin Farms
Garden Burger
It’s All Good
Lightlife
Morningstar Farms
President’s Choice
Soy Boy
Taste Above
Trader Joe’s
Yves Veggie Cuisine

[Ignis]

65. Thumbs-up for Tofurky, Wildwood, and Turtle Island.

They've been making quality products for quite a while now. Not surprised to find them on the good list.

[TankLV]

67. It's PEOPLE!

It's made from PEOPLE!!!

[pinniped]

68. Think I saw a gallon of hexane in the garage before.

.

[smalll]

69. Suck on that, you vegetarian hipsters --

Myself, just finishing off a (gasp!) ground-beef based casserole, and will roast up a 7-pound chicken for myself tomorrow.

Yay meat!