Corn is a coarse grain and is very nutritious, containing protein, fat, starch, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin A, carotene, dietary fiber, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Regularly drinking corn porridge can supplement vitamins and dietary fiber. Some people like to add "alkali" when cooking corn porridge. Will this affect its nutritional value?
Through daily observation, it's found that many people like to add edible alkali (such as baking soda or washing soda) when cooking corn porridge, with the aim of making it thicker in a short time. There is some truth to this.
This is because the main component of grain foods is starch. The process of corn porridge becoming thicker during cooking is actually a process of starch gelatinization. Adding edible alkali can accelerate this process, making the corn porridge thicker more quickly.
Some people may wonder, does adding edible alkali affect the nutrients in corn porridge? Yes, it does, and the effect is two-sided. On one hand, adding edible alkali makes the niacin in corn porridge more easily absorbed by the body. On the other hand, it significantly destroys vitamin B1 and vitamin B2 in the porridge.
If you add edible alkali to corn porridge just for the sake of absorbing niacin, it might be a case of the cure being worse than the disease. This is because fish, eggs, and dairy products are rich in niacin, and people's intake is generally sufficient. There's no need to rely on corn porridge for it. Currently, people's intake of vitamin B1 and B2 is often insufficient, mainly because the widespread consumption of refined white rice and flour has led to significant loss of these vitamins in grains. Whole grains and legumes are rich in vitamin B1 and B2, making them an excellent source for supplementing these vitamins. Adding edible alkali during cooking will destroy them, which is not conducive to the body's absorption and utilization of these vitamins.
In addition, the content of vitamin B1 and B2 in rice porridge is low, so it's best not to add edible alkali to it either. This is because adding edible alkali makes rice porridge easier to gelatinize, resulting in a very thick consistency, which is not suitable for diabetic patients. Moreover, it increases sodium intake, which is not beneficial for preventing high blood pressure. Furthermore, adding edible alkali destroys the original flavor of the food, reducing its taste. Therefore, it's best not to add it.