Even though it is clearly prohibited by health authorities, the use of borax in making meatballs is still a worrying practice in some places. Borax is actually a chemical compound for the non-food industry. However, a number of manufacturers deliberately add it to the meatball mixture to produce a chewier texture, increase shelf life, and give it a more attractive appearance.
In fact, meatballs containing the preservative borax are very dangerous if consumed. Borax can accumulate in the human body and cause various serious health problems. Short-term effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, while long-term effects can include kidney, liver, and central nervous system damage.
Reporting from webmd.com, borax is also known to have carcinogenic potential which can increase the risk of cancer. To prevent such serious health impacts, consumers must be more selective when consuming meatballs. The reason is that until now, many people are still confused about distinguishing between meatballs that contain borax and those that don't.
One way that is most often done is to check its elasticity. Indeed, one of the characteristics of meatballs that contain borax is their very chewy texture. However, apart from texture, there are other characteristics that you must know to differentiate between borax meatballs and those that don't. Well, this difference was explained by a meatball trader via the Bongas meatball YouTube account.
Reported by BrilioFood on Tuesday (23/7), he admitted that there are other characteristics that are quite significant to differentiate meatballs that contain borax and those that don't. According to him, this can be detected from the smell, taste and texture of the meatballs when consumed.
 YouTube/Bongas bakso
The first thing you need to do is smell the aroma. Meatballs containing borax usually have a medicinal smell. Meanwhile, natural meatballs tend to have a delicious aroma from the spices used. "It doesn't smell like spices, but it smells like medicine," explained YouTube user Bongas Bakso.
 YouTube/Bongas bakso
Furthermore, natural meatballs without the preservative borax usually break easily when pressed. This is different from borax meatballs which tend to be very chewy and hard. Even if pressed, meatballs containing borax will not break.
 YouTube/Bongas bakso
The final step to distinguish between borax and natural meatballs is to consume them. However, please note that consuming borax meatballs will be very risky. But if you don't find a difference in the first two methods, you can use the last step by consuming it directly.
 YouTube/Bongas bakso
So, when consumed, borax meatballs tend to be chewy and tough. And in the end, there is a bitter sensation that arises when consuming borax meatballs. This is different from natural meatballs which tend to be tasty, tasty and break easily when chewed.