A FOOD additive, which can change the appearance and taste of pork into beef, has been found in many cities in China, including Shenzhen.

According to those selling the additive, a beef extract that can also turn chicken into “beef” was frequently used in small shops and snack bars, yesterday’s Guangzhou Daily reported.

“It is not a secret in the business because the extract can help them save a lot of money,” an unidentified additive seller told the newspaper.

A jar of “beef extract” was about 45 yuan (US$6.90) and it could turn 25 kilograms of pork into 25 kilograms of “beef.” The price of fresh pork is 22 yuan per kilogram on average, while one kilogram of beef is 40 yuan. More than 1,000 yuan can be saved when converting 25 kilograms of pork into “beef,” the newspaper said.

It takes only about 90 minutes to finish the whole process.

“Chinese people like eating tender beef, so businessmen use this to attract clients and make more money. Pork could be turned into ‘beef’ by using soy sauce, black pepper and gourmet powder, without any other chemical food additives,” the seller said.

The “beef extract” is a peptone culture medium which is widely used in food processing, such as making beef-flavor instant noodles and potato chips.

Besides “beef extract,” there were also products such as “duck extract” and “chicken extract.”

The “duck extract” was the most expensive, “but ‘beef extract’ is the most popular and sometimes you have to book in advance to buy a jar,” the seller said.

The newspaper took a sample of the “beef extract” to test at the food inspection department in Guangzhou and no illegal ingredients were found in the product, but the department still said it would deal with it severely in cooperation with relevant departments.

Doctors said these kinds of food additives can lead to chronic poisoning, deformity and cancer, and advised people to avoid buying unusually brightly colored cooked food.

(Wang Yuanyuan)