After a certain advertisement in the coffee industry spread the perception that sodium caseinate is unhealthy, consumers’ fears about this additive grew. In this article, we analyze whether sodium caseinate is really harmful, or whether its negative image has been created by misinformation.
A long time ago, there was a commercial that became a huge hit in the coffee industry in South Korea. If you take a look at the ad, you’ll notice that it says, “We’ve removed the harmful sodium caseinate and added fat-free milk instead.” It’s said that the ad caused consumers to become so concerned about sodium caseinate that it boosted sales for the company that advertised it and lowered sales for other companies. Other companies have since followed suit and started making and selling coffee without sodium caseinate. So, is sodium caseinate really as harmful as the coffee industry claims, and if not, why has it become the subject of a witch hunt?
Before we dive into the dangers of sodium caseinate, let’s take a look at what it is. The casein in sodium caseinate is the main protein in milk, which is the main ingredient in cheese. Whey protein, another protein in milk called whey, is very quickly digested and absorbed. Unlike whey, casein is digested slowly in the body, providing a steady supply of amino acids over a long period of time, which is very beneficial. However, casein protein cannot be extracted easily because its molecules are very small. Therefore, it is extracted in the form of a salt by adding acid to the milk. The resulting salt is sodium caseinate.
When we consume casein sodium, it“s ionized by the body”s fluids into casein protein and sodium. The casein protein is digested by pepsin in the stomach, and the sodium is flushed out of the body through fluids. Once digested by pepsin, the casein proteins clump together to form a sticky mucus. This mucus slows down the digestion by pepsin, so the amino acids are delivered to the body very slowly. This makes it very popular among bodybuilders who need a steady supply of protein for long periods of time, or arthritis patients who need to use their muscles instead of their joints.
So how did such a beneficial substance become a negative object in the public eye? It’s a combination of a lack of information on the part of consumers and the commercial strategies used by companies to capitalize on it. Consumers often don’t have accurate information about what they eat, and they are heavily influenced by advertising and media reports. Companies take advantage of this by stigmatizing certain ingredients as ‘harmful’ in order to build an image of their products as ‘healthier’. Sodium caseinate is one such example.
Sodium caseinate, a type of protein, has come to be hated by the industry for two reasons. The first is that, unlike coffee and sugar in coffee mixes, it”s an artificially synthesized food additive. In the modern world, natural is perceived as healthy, so there is a widespread distrust of artificial additives. The second is the maximization of publicity to pursue profits. In this era of eating well and living well, finding the healthiest food possible has become a major concern for consumers. The industry’s main concern is to capitalize on this characteristic and promote their products as beneficial or harmless to the human body. The coffee industry, for example, promotes sodium caseinate, which consumers are not familiar with, as if it were a poison. Consumers have been turned off by this, which has led to a significant increase in demand for sodium caseinate-free coffee mixes.
This situation has been exacerbated by sensationalized reporting by some media outlets and the spread of exaggerated information on social media. When information is misrepresented or distorted, people become fearful, which has a significant impact on their consumption habits. On the one hand, there is a need for consumers to have a deeper understanding of the ingredients they consume. Instead of simply believing that an ingredient is bad, they need to educate themselves on how it actually works and what the science behind it is.
Now that it’s been labeled as a food additive, it’s hard to imagine sodium caseinate escaping the scrutiny of consumers. As the harmful effects of food additives continue to be recognized, processed food manufacturers are trying to reduce the number of food additives in their products, and preliminary research from companies that have removed sodium caseinate has shown that consumers tend to avoid it. This is supported by the company’s explanation that this was the reason for the decision to remove sodium caseinate.
In conclusion, the widespread negative image of permitted food additives needs to be addressed. There is no need to be alarmed by the sensationalism of some media and laypeople. Of course, industry efforts to minimize and reduce the use of harmful food additives should continue, and governments and the media should strive to provide accurate information so that consumers can feel confident in their food choices.
