Magnesium trisilicate
Encyclopedia
Magnesium trisilicate is an inorganic compound
that is used as a food additive
. The additive is often employed by fast food
chains to absorb fatty acid
s and remove impurities that form in edible oils during the frying process
.
KFC
franchises, suspecting it to be a possible carcinogen
. As a response, China's Ministry of Health conducted tests at six outlets of KFC . The results showed chemicals in the cooking process at KFC restaurants in the country were not harmful. The Ministry of Health said tests showed that using the product to filter cooking oil had no apparent impact on health. Food scares regularly sweep the Chinese media.
Magnesium trisilicate can be used as an antacid
in the treatment of peptic ulcer
s. It increases the pH of gastric juice via a neutralisation reaction. It also precipitates colloidal silica
, which can coat gastrointestinal mucosa conferring further protection.
It can also be used in oral pharmaceutical formulations and food products as a glidant
. It is also used therapeutically as an antacid, and also for the treatment of ciprofloxacin
overdose or toxicity.
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...
that is used as a food additive
Food additive
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...
. The additive is often employed by fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
chains to absorb fatty acid
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
s and remove impurities that form in edible oils during the frying process
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
.
Health effects
On March 12, 2007, Chinese health authorities seized and halted the use of magnesium trisilicate at Shaanxi ProvinceShaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
franchises, suspecting it to be a possible carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
. As a response, China's Ministry of Health conducted tests at six outlets of KFC . The results showed chemicals in the cooking process at KFC restaurants in the country were not harmful. The Ministry of Health said tests showed that using the product to filter cooking oil had no apparent impact on health. Food scares regularly sweep the Chinese media.
Magnesium trisilicate can be used as an antacid
Antacid
An antacid is a substance which neutralizes stomach acidity.-Mechanism of action:Antacids perform a neutralization reaction, increasing the pH to reduce acidity in the stomach. When gastric hydrochloric acid reaches the nerves in the gastrointestinal mucosa, they signal pain to the central nervous...
in the treatment of peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
s. It increases the pH of gastric juice via a neutralisation reaction. It also precipitates colloidal silica
Colloidal silica
Colloidal silicas are suspensions of fine amorphous, nonporous, and typically spherical silica particles in a liquid phase.-Properties:Usually they are suspended in an aqueous phase that is stabilized electrostatically...
, which can coat gastrointestinal mucosa conferring further protection.
It can also be used in oral pharmaceutical formulations and food products as a glidant
Glidant
A glidant is a substance that is added to a powder to improve its flowability. A glidant will only work at a certain range of concentrations. Above a certain concentration, the glidant will in fact function to inhibit flowability A glidant is a substance that is added to a powder to improve its...
. It is also used therapeutically as an antacid, and also for the treatment of ciprofloxacin
Ciprofloxacin
Ciprofloxacin is a synthetic chemotherapeutic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.It is a second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial. It kills bacteria by interfering with the enzymes that cause DNA to rewind after being copied, which stops synthesis of DNA and of...
overdose or toxicity.