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Today’s modern era is all about selling what appeals to the eye. Be it picking up the most aesthetic cafes to eat or adding ingredients to the food without checking the quality to make them look photogenic. One such example that has turned the heads of the authorities of the F&B industry is the unauthorised use of liquid nitrogen.
Within the past couple of months, a few cases of hazardous effects of using liquid nitrogen have surfaced. One such instance even included the death of a twelve-year-old girl in Karnataka after eating a paan infused with liquid nitrogen.Keeping the after-effects in mind, FSSAI has now released an advisory that prohibits the unauthorised use of liquid nitrogen in both food items and drinks.
As per FSSAI’s advisory, “ Liquid nitrogen which is illicitly being used directly at the point of serving or plating is not allowed as this is not the intended purpose and technological use of the additive and shall be considered as non-compliance by the food businesses doing so.”
Nitrogen is a colourless gas, and liquid nitrogen is usually used in the food industry to give frozen foods a velvety texture. While its major benefit was to lower the time it took to freeze ingredients, some restaurants and food spots use it to give their dishes a theatrical feel, which is found to be hazardous for the human body.
As per the FSS guidelines, the only authorised functions of liquid nitrogen in the F&B industry should be limited to using it as a freezing agent, propellant, packaging gas, or foaming agent. The regulations further added that even in dairy products, liquid nitrogen should be used at a level for the technological function of contact freezing and cooling only. The FSSAI advisory also warns, "Any violation to this shall result in the initiation of statutory action against the Food Businesses in accordance with FSS Act, 2006 and rule/regulations made thereunder."
