Microwave Popcorn is the quick, practical and tasty solution that accompanies leisure hours or quenches sudden hunger. But it is important to be aware that the chemical compound used to give its delicious butter flavor was considered harmful to health.
Dangerous flavoring
Diacetyl, a compound used in the production of microwave popcorn as a chemical flavor, has drawn attention because its inhalation is the cause of a lung problem in hundreds of American popcorn factory workers, bronchiolitis obliterans.
Dubbed the "popcorn lung", bronchiolitis obliterans is a serious and irreversible disease that constricts lung bronchioles, causing breathing difficulties. The great controversy arose because of the extent to which the smell of artificial butter exhaled by microwave popcorn could be a danger to consumers as well.
Although consumers' minimal exposure to aroma has not been proven dangerous, American Wayne Watson was compensated for $ 14.5 million after claiming he developed bronchiolitis obliterans for inhaling artificial butter from microwave popcorn.
The gain of this lawsuit has made the substance thoroughly investigated by the American scientific community.
A study by the University of Minnesota (USA) indicated that diacetyl is capable of overcoming the "blood-brain barrier" that prevents toxic substances from entering the brain; stimulates the accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins, which contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease; and prevents the glyoxalase protein, which protects nerve cells, from reaching the brain.
However, it is important to note that studies and all the controversy may be over-approached, as diacetyl is also naturally present in some foods, such as butter, some derivatives of milk, wine, beer, and even fruit.
Some microwave popcorn makers have announced that they have abandoned diacetyl, which has been replaced by a substance called 2,3-pentanedione, which is also not considered completely safe.
Make healthy choices
Whether this controversy is an exaggeration or not, all we have to do is be careful with the excessive consumption of microwave popcorn and avoid staying in the kitchen while that fake butter scent is in the air.
If possible, give preference to the traditional method of preparation in the pan, because this way, rather than avoiding problems with suspicious substances, we can control the level of salt, fat and obtain only the benefits of popcorn, rich in antioxidants able to combat the free radicals and help against premature aging and various types of cancer.
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