Sulfates in Food
Dietary sulfur is an essential component
Dietary sulfur is an ORGANIC component naturally present both in foods and in the human body (about 140g). This is a PLASTIC element, as it constitutes part of the sulfur amino acids : methionine , cysteine and cystine; it is therefore also present in glutathione , coenzyme A, thiamine (vit. B1), biotin ( vit H ) and insulin .
Chemical structure of cystine, a sulfur-containing amino acid
Furthermore, sulfur and the elements that contain it participate in the constitution of connective tissue , mucopolysaccharides and bile acids . An organic sulfur supplement, methylsulfonylmethane or MSM , is therefore proposed in the treatment of osteoarthritis .
Dietary sulfur is absorbed in the small intestine while the main elimination routes are urine and feces . Deficient conditions are rare and so is excess, which likely causes impaired physical development and insufficient growth.
The food sources of sulfur are mostly foods of protein origin (eggs, meat , fish and cheese ), while in the form of sulphates they can be introduced with drinking water and fruit and vegetables.
Sulfates: toxic compounds from the atmosphere and contaminated foods
Sulfates are INORGANIC compounds NOT NATURALLY present in foods and their excessive concentration can be extremely harmful to human health.
Sulfates become toxic if they reach excessive concentrations; often, these are the result of the sum of the polluting agents and the sulphates regularly used for technological processes; polluting sulphates can end up on foods from atmospheric air or through polluted rain (acid rain), while the application of sulphates useful for food processing is subject to specific regulations for their use. Unfortunately, although regulated, the latter do not take into account the overall sulphates introduced, therefore their intake in the diet should still be limited.
Overall, sulfates mainly derive from:
- Coalsmoke (SO 2 H 2 S)
- Oil combustion (SO 2, H 2 S)
- Sulfuric acid from industrial smog (H 2SO 4 ) and its lead salts (PbSO 4 )
- Food processing processes such as dehydrationof fresh fruit (which uses sulfur to retain color and some nutrients ; manganese sulphate MnSO 4 )
- Foods, additivesand drugs treated with sulfuric acid: saccharin , aspirin , alum ( potassium aluminum sulphate dodecahydrate KAl(SO 4 ) 2 12 H 2 O, also known as potassium alum, is used in the industrial preparation of pickles and cherries in spirit)
- Purification of water treated with coppersulphate (CuSO 4 )
- Use of tribasic copper sulphate-based insecticides
- Sulfonamidedrugs (sulfonamides with a group characterized by a sulfur atom at valency 6; R-SO 2 -NH 2 )
- Saline purgatives : magnesium sulphate (MgSO 4 )
- Raising food additives(sulfates of: sodium , potassium , calcium , aluminium, aluminum and sodium , aluminum and potassium, aluminum and ammonium)
- It is important not to confuse sulphates (described so far) with food additives based on SULPHITES(SO 3 2-) and SULFUR DIOXIDE ; the latter are preservatives generally contained in wine , drinks, fish, dried fruit, etc.
More information on sulphites can be found in this article .
