Tofu has become more and more popular, and has moved from being an exotic dish to standard fare. Have you ever wondered how its made? Do you know what most companies use to get it to the right consistency?
Although many homemade versions use lemon juice as a thickening agent, many commercial brands of tofu use calcium sulfate, a common laboratory and industrial chemical. Calcium sulfate is also used as a desiccant, or a drying agent. It’s also known as gypsum which is commonly used in drywall, blackboard chalk, and is also a component of Portland cement.
In case you’re not familiar with these names, you may have also heard of another common term for calcium sulfate:
Plaster of Paris
That’s right, your tofu may contain the same material used in some of your favorite knickknacks and home decor. Now, I’m not saying it’s dangerous to eat per se, I am just saying that the last time I checked, the FDA had not established a minimum daily requirement for the consumption of construction materials. I’m sure it’s not that dangerous to eat, but why not tell us point blank about it, instead of using it’s chemical name?
One more thing, it does have a high calcium content, but so do the semi-precious stones known as garnet. I don’t know why tofu can’t be made commercially with lemon juice, wouldn’ that be healthier for everyone? In my opinion, whoever decided to pass off calcium sulfate to the unsuspecting public has rocks in their head.
