These days, we often hear such statements: although the vegetables on the market today look much better, they are far less fragrant than before. The most typical example of this phenomenon is bean sprouts. When you walk through a farmer's market, you will find that today's bean sprouts are much whiter and longer than in the past, and they don't even grow roots. But when you eat them, you just can't get that fresh, fragrant taste of the past; instead, they have a faint, unpleasant smell.
Why is this? A popular explanation circulating in society is that the seemingly sturdier and more upright bean sprouts of today are all chemically fertilized.
To verify the truth of this claim, the author conducted an investigation, tracing the matter to its source, and confirmed that "using chemical fertilizers for bean sprouts" is indeed a fact, and this phenomenon is quite widespread. Bean sprouts chemically induced not only taste bad but also seriously harm the health of consumers.
According to industry insiders, the normal production cycle for bean sprouts is about 11-15 days. However, some vendors, in order to increase yield and shorten the production cycle, spray chemical fertilizers and hormones like urea, ammonium nitrate, and rootless agents on the sprouts, which can be sold in just 8-10 days. Under the action of these chemicals and pesticides, the sprouts naturally become exceptionally long and white. Sometimes they grow green leaves without developing roots, looking fresh, tender, and juicy, which is indeed tempting and allows them to be sold at a higher price. Furthermore, the beans absorb more water during germination, thus increasing the yield of bean sprouts and seeking exorbitant profits. Currently, the wholesale price of soybeans in farmer's markets is about 2 yuan per kilogram, while the price of bean sprouts is about 1 yuan per kilogram. Calculating that 1 jin (500g) of soybeans can produce 12 jin of bean sprouts, after deducting the cost of fertilizers, a profit of nearly 4.8 yuan can be made. If no chemical fertilizers are used, at least 2 yuan less profit would be earned per jin. It is precisely the pursuit of such exorbitant profits that drives some unscrupulous vendors to disregard the health of consumers.
According to experts, bean sprouts are different from other vegetables. The large-scale use of chemical fertilizers during their germination will cause the nitrate content in the sprouts to rise sharply. When nitrates enter the human body, they are broken down by bacteria into carcinogenic nitrites. Similarly, bean sprouts induced by hormonal drugs are also very harmful to the human body. According to random inspections by relevant authorities, the "hormones" currently used by bean sprout producers include "Gibberellin technical material," "Plant Growth Regulator," and "Rootless Soybean Sprout Agent" (also known as rootless agent). Rootless agent is a type of hormonal pesticide that causes rapid cell division in bean sprouts. Like nitrogen fertilizers, it has carcinogenic and teratogenic effects on the human body. Moreover, even an excessive intake of human hormonal drugs can cause certain harm to the body, such as causing premature development in children, changes in female physiology, and osteoporosis in the elderly.
Therefore, when purchasing bean sprouts, you must choose them carefully. It is best to select those with thick, plump leaves, sturdy, elastic stems, and no strange smell. Such sprouts are grown normally. In fact, chemically fertilized bean sprouts can be directly identified by sight. Chemically induced bean sprouts generally have the following characteristics: underdeveloped or no root hairs; the sprout body is thick and longer than normal sprouts; the sprout body is brittle, and water will seep out when broken; in some cases where a lot of fertilizer is used, the cotyledons may turn green and have a bitter taste.