TikTok/@afmaretary
Brilio.net - Various kinds of food ingredients that are to be processed and consumed must be washed first to avoid contamination. This is no exception for various types of vegetables. Not without reason, vegetables are usually grown with fertilizers or even pesticides made from chemicals.
Apart from the production process, vegetables are also often exposed to chemicals during shipping. A number of farmers sometimes provide additional preservatives so that vegetables do not rot quickly during the shipping process.
Unfortunately, the preservatives used sometimes surprise many people because they come from unexpected ingredients, such as white cement.
Yup, a man once shared the moment he sprinkled white cement on a pile of cabbages that were about to be sold. The video uploaded by the TikTok account @afmaretary initially shows piles of cabbage neatly arranged in a large truck. Then there was a gentleman who held white powder in his right hand. A moment later, the men sprinkled white powder in their hands onto the pile of cabbage in the truck.
photo: TikTok/@afmaretary
The pile of cabbage that had been sprinkled with this powder immediately turned white. It didn't stop there, the men then took white powder from the cement bag. Then sprinkle it again over the entire surface of the cabbage. This process is carried out until the entire surface of the cabbage turns white.
photo: TikTok/@afmaretary
After investigating, the pile of cabbages in this truck had just been harvested and were about to be sent to the market to be sold. Then, giving white cement to the cabbage aims to make the vegetable last longer. This was explained directly by the video uploader.
"Why was it sprinkled with white cement, so what," asked the TikTok account @user6883742335395.
"To reduce water content, bro," explained TikTok user @afmaretary, quoted by BrilioFood on Monday (15/7).
Furthermore, the practice of giving white cement to cabbage has apparently been done for years by TikTok user @afmaretary. This farmer from Dieng, Banjarnegara also explained that this technique tends to be safe.
"It's not dangerous, bro. I've been trading cabbage/gobis for 30 years, thank God, it's safe, bro," he explained.
photo: TikTok/@afmaretary
According to the agrotechnology research journal reported from repository.umy.ac.id, giving white cement can have an effect on inhibiting the rate of damage and the development of bacteria that cause rot. This is often done by cabbage farmers in various regions. Not only in Banjarnegara, but farmers in Magelang and North Sumatra also often carry out this practice when they want to distribute cabbage to the market.
Even so, many netizens still doubt the safety of the cabbage. How could it not be, white cement, which is made from chemicals and functions as a building material, is actually used to preserve food. Netizens then expressed this concern in the comments column on the video which has been watched almost 4 million times.
"I thought the white part of the cabbage was flour... it turns out that semeen, oh my God, is consumed, why is it filled with chemicals that are for building too," wrote the TikTok account @Yuli@@.
"It's dangerous, yes, in food stalls or on the roadside people don't wash their vegetables," explained TikTok @leogirl.
"Wow, I just found out, it's not dangerous ta," said TikTok @Ranss.
photo: TikTok/@afmaretary
In response to this, TikTok user @afmaretary provided an explanation in a different video. In the video, several men who want to move the cabbage into a basket are seen peeling it first. According to TikTok user @afmaretary, this peeling is done in 3-4 layers.
Therefore, cabbage that is ready to be sold does not contain cement and is safe to consume. However, to be even safer, don't forget to wash the cabbage or cauliflower thoroughly when you want to cook it. This will minimize bacterial contamination or unwanted chemicals.
(brl/lut)
