Question

Find out a food technical regulation and standards for any selected food items in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (example- pickled fruits, pickled cucumber). Discuss the health effects about the food additives used on them.

Answer 1

FOOD TECHNICAL REGULATION AND STANDARDS OF PICKLED CUCUMBER:

Cucumber is one of the most important vegetable crops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is also the largest and a growing market for high valued foodstuffs in the Gulf region. In Saudi Arabia,pickled cucumber is also called as Gherkins. The ingredients used are cucumber (main ingredient used in making pickled cucumber). The additional ingredients includes acids ( vinegar), flavorings( salt or sugar), colorants, preservatives and stabilizers to make up the pickles.

These pickled cucumbers can be made both in the form of salt and sugar. The sour ( salty) pickled cucumbers are low in calories and contains a moderate amount of vitamin K in the supplement. The sour pickled cucumber usually made of adding more amount of salt and contains to about 350-500 mg of sodium in one small spears of pickled cucumber. On the other hand, sweet pickled cucumbers are higher in calories because of high sugar content and has less sodium in the products.

As it is high in Sodium, people who eating this salty pickled cucumber are more prone to develop hypertension. Also, people with high blood pressure are at high risk in developing cardiovascular diseases. In addition to this, studies found that high-salt foods were extremely linked with stomach cancers. High salt usage may harm our body bones ( lose of calcium) and also damages the normal function of a kidney.