Our Food Is Full of These 5 Chemicals

You can try to eat a clean diet, but it would be very hard to avoid these chemicals. These 5 key chemicals are used to make our food taste the way it’s supposed to taste, look the way we expect it to look, and generally survive the journey to our tables intact. Join Michael Aranda for a dive into food production in this new episode of SciShow!
----------
----------
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters -- we couldn't make SciShow without them! Shout out to Justin Ove, John Szymakowski, Fatima Iqbal, Justin Lentz, David Campos, and Chris Peters.
----------

Or help support us by becoming our patron on Patreon:
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?

Sources:

red dye #5

xanthan gum

carrageenan

citric acid

sodium benzoate

[geniusmp]

I was expecting an "everything is chemicals!" rant from Hank, but this was good, too.

[affenonkel]

I love these food science-centered episodes! Really great that you don't just talk about the US but also include the European side a bit :)

[Karreth]

These long, meaty episodes are really nice.

[BobJoeman]

I enjoyed the lack of fear-mongering in this video.

[anniedaynoww]

Please explain why Grape flavor doesn't taste anything like grape

[validname.]

"Xanthum gum might sound like a bubble gum that you have chewed during algebra class" - these guys are so creative 😂

[thedesucomplex]

Thank you! Another objective approach to a subject that shouldn't be controversial that I can send to people who freak out over hoaxes they hear on Facebook.

[krgdd]

This may have been by far one of the most informative SciShow videos I've seen so far...and I've watched nearly all of them.  Thank you so much for the info!

[thoperSought]

anybody who's worried about bacterial excrement can never drink beer or wine... or even vodka, for that matter.

[UltravioletNomad]

I love how objective this was. Other sources use this subject as click bait and frame it as if food companies have been lying to us about the food they produce. I actually like knowing that most beef and pork are filled with additives. If a burger is barely even meat at all, then that just means It took less livestock to produce it. If you think about it, in order to match our average consumption with 100% all meat, pigs and cows would need to be stacked on over of each other just to have the space to raise and slaughter them, in some farms they already are.

[JeremiahHalpin]

I am a chemist in the cosmetics and skin/hair care industry. All 5 of these are used in all of your shampoo, conditioners, lotions, and creams. Just for those who are intrested. Getting my degree I never heard of any of these. Now that I am working, they are in everything and every industry. Universities need to be teaching us better so we understand more about these chemicals before working with them and putting them in every consumable.

[levishu]

To quote Hank Green: "Everything is Chemicals!"

[dkdrock]

I'm so glad to see you guys finally discussing this topic. Though you skipped over the flavorings and how they are produced as well as how they are labeled, but I hope you return to that sooner than later. Food chemistry is a very important concept for people to understand since it has a direct influence on basically all of our lives. I look forward to seeing much more on this topic.

[panushalimbu]

this was so useful... i notice whenever I read the ingredients of the foods in my house.Bread, anything that is packaged and look remotely man-made, or it's been manufactured in a factory )there is always some long complicating chemical names. i'd always wanted to google all the chemicals to made sure they are safe for consumption (although I did doubt the government will sell food that aren't safe), i was too lazy. this 10 mins just covered everything I was unsure of.

[vladoportos]

Maybe its me but "Generally Recognized As Safe" doesn't sound that safe :D

[anacunha]

The warm, fuzzy feeling I got in the pit of my stomach while watching this video! Organic chemistry/chemistry is EVERYTHING!

[kitcutting]

I remember back in high school that I once scared my mom into abstaining from fruits and veggies for about three days, by telling her that all the greens she was eating had a dangerous chemical called "dihydrogen monoxide" (she thought it was related to carbon monoxide) that companies put in her salads and stuff.
I got yelled at after the whole thing was done and over with, due to the fact that my mom actually looked up what "dihydrogen monoxide" was.
It was all worth it, in the name of science.

[Efi_C]

I love whoever writes your scripts, they are just great, and can be quite funny and smart. I been watching your videos for a while now but just now thought to mention this. Great writing! Educational and entertaining!

[nexusAa]

5 chemicals that are in everything you eat:
Water
Glucose
NaCl
<insert any amino acid here>
<insert any type of lipid here>
Done..

[sjwimmel]

Great episode! This was one of those things I always wanted to know, but never thought of looking up.