Jelly is not only a favorite of children but also many adults. Many people believe that jelly is made from fruit juice, but if you just look at the ingredient list on the jelly package, it's not hard to see whether you should be eating too much of it.
Jelly is not made from fruit juice at all. Instead, it is made by adding various artificial flavors, colorings, sweeteners, and acidulants to thickeners (such as sodium alginate, agar, gelatin, carrageenan, etc.). Although these substances are derived from algae and terrestrial plants, their original nutritional components, such as vitamins and inorganic salts, are completely lost during the extraction process, which involves treatment with acids, alkalis, and bleaching agents. Sodium alginate, agar, and others belong to the dietary fiber category, but excessive intake can affect the human body's absorption of fats and proteins. In particular, inorganic salts like iron and zinc form insoluble compounds, reducing the body's absorption of these trace elements. Artificial flavors are also relatively complex in composition, generally prepared by dissolving esters and aldehydes in alcohol. The pineapple flavor in jelly mainly comes from an artificial flavor dominated by ethyl butyrate; apple jelly contains isoamyl acetate; and banana jelly contains amyl butyrate. The bright colors of jelly are the result of artificial colorants. These artificial colorants are chemically synthesized from coal tar, have no nutritional value for the human body, and can even be somewhat toxic.