Bamboo Fibre

[Barsel]

I was thinking of buying some sausages from the Finest range at Tesco until I looked at the ingredients and saw that they all contain bamboo fibre!
I've never seen that before in a list of ingredients, and wondered why it's used in food, so I looked it up and found this.

Due to its versatile properties, bamboo fibres are used mainly in textile industry for making attires, towels, and bathrobes. Due to its antibacterial nature, it is used for making bandages, masks, nurse wears, and sanitary napkins.

It's put me off buying them now. Would it put you off?

[bednobs]

nope

[bednobs]

ps bamboo is a plant - dont you eat other plants?

[gingejbee]

No, wouldn't bother me - as long as it's not doing Chi-Chi or An-An out of their dinner!

[Buenchico]

Also from the web:
"Bamboo fiber is widely used in food industries and is much appreciated as an ingredient because of its water-binding and texturizing properties in many processed food products varying from bakery products, dairy products, meat and fish products, beverages, sauces, and dressings".

So it's to be widely found in food and, no, it wouldn't put me off.

What would put me off Tesco's 'Finest' British Pork Sausages though is the appalling reviews they get on Tesco's own website!
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/280002982#review-data

[Barsel]

bednobs, not that I'm aware of, I haven't even fancied these plant based food you can buy these days. I found this also.

Coffee cups made from resin containing bamboo fibre – often sold as bamboo mugs – leach so much harmful formaldehyde and melamine into drinks that the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has warned that they shouldn’t be used for hot liquids.

[Barsel]

Thanks for those reviews Chris. Definitely not buying them now.

[bednobs]

youve never eaten plants?????? fruit and veg, bread products? anythin containing flour???

[gingejbee]

^the harmful things are coming from the resin, not the bamboo.

[Barsel]

bednobs, I'm talking about an ingredient I've never heard of before that is being added to food. Why is it being added and is it necessary? The link that Chris has put on explains this to me, but it doesn't alter the fact that I would want to eat something that is toxic.

[Barsel]

What about this?

Cellulose material (such as bamboo) is dissolved in a strong solvent to make a thick, viscous solution that is forced through a spinneret into a quenching solution where strands solidify into fibre.

[Barsel]

Only sausages from the butchers for me in future. Just hope they don't put sawdust in from the floor!

[bednobs]

sausage skins are made from either cellulose fibre (usually used to make paper), collagen (usually used in medicine) or animal intestines.

Doesnt that put you off getting sausages too?

[Barsel]

No bednobs, because most sausages now are made with alginate casings.

[bednobs]

what's that?

[pastafreak]

I stopped buying Tesco sausages early this year. Not primarily because of the bamboo fibre, but because they had reduced the meat content from 97% to 90%, added fillers, and changed the casings to something nasty. I'm sure one of those reviews is mine!
I just tried Aldi sausages...£2 for 6, 97% meat, no gristly bits, and quite tasty.

[Barsel]

Bednobs, It's 100% vegetable - suitable for Kosher and Halal products. I think it's also used on vegetarian sausages.

Thanks pasta, I'll try those.

[Mamyalynne]

// Alginate casings are a cost effective alternative to more expensive natural casings and collagen casings, and can significantly lower sausage production costs.

Alginate is a gel obtained from algae. It is a natural product and purely vegetable-based. The alginate encapsulates the sausage in a transparent skin, allowing the product to remain visible. It imparts a good texture and a pleasant mouth-feel. After curing, it feels perfectly cool and dry. It does not soften again, even when exposed to hot water.//

[barry1010]

Bamboo fibre is used in lots of food including bread and pastry products, especially the gluten free sort.
I'd eat it, it's a lot more natural than a lot of ingredients in food. It certainly isn't harmful in any way.
Remember the sago puddings we used to eat? Sago is also used for sizing in cloth manufacture, potato starch is used for wallpaper paste. It's not unusual for foodstuffs to be used in manufacture.

[barry1010]

My butcher still makes sausages the traditional way with skins from intestines. It gives the sausages that satisfying 'bite'

[bednobs]

i just seems odd - bamboo is also 100% vegetable so i dont really see a difference :)