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| Feed Me Please - I'M HUNGRY ! |
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| One month old Gouldian chick begging for dinner. |
Preservatives
Commercially packaged pellets, chick starters, pet foods of various kinds and handfeeding
formulas may come with chemical preservatives. Some are OK, some may cause adverse health affects. It's important
to know which ones to avoid and why.
Why do they add preservatives anyway?
One reason is to prevent the fats from oxidizing. As discussed in the
Oils, Fats & Fatty Acid section above, oxidized oils taste bad, smell bad and they can cause a whole host of health problems. It
takes as little as 0.05% of the oils in food to become oxidized for it to taste rancid. Commerically synthesized antioxidants
are inexpensive and effectively prevent the oxidation of fats and oils in the foods.
The second reason to add preservatives is to prevent molds & bacteria from growing.
You, the consumer, must decide if the benefit of the preservative outweighs any potential
negative health effects. The most commonly used preservatives are presented below.
Synthetic Preservatives
Ethoxyquin: This is synthetic antioxidant that was
originally invented to stabilize rubber. It is used in animal and human foods, and as of 2004, it still has not
been tested for carcinogenic activity. It has low to moderate oral acute toxicity by ingestion and
is a mild skin irritant. It may cause liver and/or kidney damage.
Ethoxyquin is approved for use by the FDA at a concentration up to 100 ppm in chile powder
and paprika because it retards the oxidation of carotenoids. Ethoxyquin is also approved to spray pears post
harvest to prevent brown scald.
Ethoxyquin is used in some livestock feed including cat & dog foods, handfeeding formulas
and bird pellets to retard the oxidation of fats (rancidity). Ethoxyquin is approved at rates up to 150 ppm in
pet products, whereas in human products aside from the spices mentioned above, ethoxyquin in foods must be
below 0.5 ppm - 5 ppm. In 1997, some wanted the acceptable levels of ethoxyquin to be reduced to from
150 ppm to 75 ppm in dog foods because people felt that was too high of a level to feed to lactating females and
puppies. To my knowledge, the official level remains at 150 ppm.
The US FDA, at this time, says that the claims of long-term animal health problems being caused
by ethoxyquin are unsubstantiated. (This was in 1989 - they have not updated their statement since then).
Lafaber's and Kaytee STILL USE ETHOXYQUIN IN THEIR PRODUCTS. Zupreem and Roudybush
are ethoxyquin free. Roudybush recently replaced Ethoxyquin and now uses citric acid, rosemary oil and tocopheral
(inactive form of vitamin E) which are the same ingredients used by Zupreem.
Read Lafaber's stance on Ethoxyquin here:
Read Kaytee's stance on Ethoxyquin here:
Read Roudybush's stance on Ethoxyquin here:
Finally, Monsanto (the original maker of Ethoxyquin) and the US FDA say that there is
NOTHING wrong with Ethoxyquin. Meanwhile, it is considered to be a pesticide and is regulated under the control
of the USDA. You be your own judge and decide. I do use Lafaber's handfeeding formula because it is the
only commercial one that is rice, not corn, based. I also use paprika in egg food.
| Five Lafaber's Hand Fed Gouldian Chicks |
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| Four are older, one is about a week younger. They sure are hungry! |
BHA/BHT: These are abbreviations for Butylated
Hydroxianisol and its derivative, Butylated Hydroxytoluene. Like Ethoxyquin, these are manmade antioxidants
used to prevent fats in feeds from going rancid. Also like Ethoxyquin, the US FDA insists that these chemicals are safe
at this time. They have slight toxicity. There is no information available on whether they are an endocrine
disruptor or carcinogen. However, vets and vet owners do not agree with this statement and feel that BHA/BHT are responsible
for causing a host of diseases in dogs particularly liver, kidney, bladder and stomach disease including tumors and cancers.
BHA and BHT are found in a lot more food and personal products than Ethoxyquin is. Butter,
margarine, butter substitute spreads, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer
all may contain BHA or BHT. Furthermore, cosmetics like lipstick and skin lotions, food packaging, rubber and petroleum
products may have it as well.
I'm unaware of any bird pet products that contain these, but if you use dog or cat foods for
your egg food, you might want to check for BHA or BHT.
Parabens/Methylparaben: Another
class of preservatives you may encounter in bird foods are the Parabens; Methylparaben and the similar
compounds Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben and Hepatylparaben. They all have fungicidal and microbicidal activity,
and it is for this purpose they are used. There are no naturally occuring Parabens, these are all synthetic.
These commercially synthesized preservatives have some people worried. Parabens
are used in personal products such as underarm deodorants, shaving cream, cosmetics and shampoos. In
the US, they are approved in personal products at a concentration up to 25%. Usually, however, they are used more
in the range of 0.01 - 0.3%.
A recent scientific study (2004) found all five commonly used parabens in breast
cancer cells, and this is cause enough to make me pause for reconsideration. Parabens have also been linked
to problems in unborn babies and have been shown to have an affect on male rat reproductive systems.
Parabens are weak estrogen mimics and may be endocrine disruptors. They may also cause
dermal allergic reactions.
The FDA recently re-evaluated parabens (2003) and felt there was no reason to further
test this class of compounds at that time. Like BHT, BHA and Ethoxyquin, this class of compounds have
never been appropriately tested to be used in food stuffs or intimate care products. From Europe (2004), there is some
indication that Methyl and Ethylparaben are safe up to 10mg/kg body weight if ingested daily, but that Propylparaben had an
affect on the reproductive systems of rats and could not be considered safe at this time.
Currently, Parabens are approved for use in food at the concentration of 0.2% by
the USDA. Foods such as tomato paste, juices, beer, hard cheeses, sausage and meat may contain Parabens.
They are also used in pharmaceuticals.
To find Parabens on labels, look for names like methyl p-hydroxybenzoate or propyl p-hydroxybenzoate,
which are the forms most commonly found in foods. Basically, if I see BENZOATE on the label, I put the food product
back. In cosmetics, the Paraben names are typically used. Same chemical, two different names - again!
Bottom line: Parabens are endocrine
disruptors, regardless of the amount one needs to ingest to see negative affects. I suffer from several
endocrine disorders; and let me tell you, you just don't want them. My recommendation is to steer clear
of this stuff at this time until more data comes in.
Sodium Benzoate: This is the salt of Benzoic Acid.
While Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring, its salt (Sodium Benzoate) is a manmade preservative. Similar salts
may be used and go by the names Potassium Benzoate and Calcium Benzoate. For your birds, you typically
will not be using products in which this is added. These include: caviar, prawns, soy sauce and other similar
condiments, margarine, salad dressing, olives, pickles, jams, jellies, fruit pies, soft drinks and candy.
Natural Preservatives
Organic Acids: These have
been used for a long time as food preservatives and are antimicrobial in nature. They are primarily used to prevent
mold growth. Organic Acids are readily available, easy to use and are very inexpensive. Exactly
how Organic Acids preserve food is still not known.
Basically, the ability of an Organic Acid to prevent the growth of micro-organisms depends
upon the pH of the foodstuff. Therefore, some food products use a combination of organic acids so that the food will
not grow fungi over a range of pHs. Organic Acid preservatives may affect food pH slightly.
ORGANIC ACIDS DO NOT HAVE ANY TOXIC, CARCINOGENIC,
ESTROGEN MIMIC OR MUTAGENIC PROPERTIES.
These are pretty safe unless you are using them in a pure state - in which case acid burns
may result. You won't be finding them like that in foods.
More Common Organic Acids
Citric Acid - Found in citrus such as oranges, lemons and
limes, Citric Acid is sour tasting. It is added to some food stuffs such as candy and soft drinks to make them
sour. So not only is it used as a preservative, it's also a flavoring agent. It is also used to adjust pH.
Benzoic Acid (BA) - First isolated from Styrax
benzoin, a tropical tree, many types of fruits including strawberries & drupes have Benzoic Acid in them. BA
is also found in cheese, spices such as cinnamon, clove & nutmeg, teas, cocoa, mushrooms and honey. Again,
like other organic acids, BA is used to prevent the growth of fungi & bacteria. It is added to fruit juices, soft
drinks, pickles and other similar foodstuffs.
Sorbic Acid - Originally isolated from Mountain Ash (Sorbus
sp.) berries, Sorbic Acid is used to prevent the growth of molds in cheese, wine, fish, margarine, and baked
goods. It is an unsaturated fat in the same chemical family as fatty acids (only six carbons long as opposed to 18 carbons
found in the EFAs discussed above). Another name for Sorbic Acid is "sorbates".
Propionic Acid - Found in the degradation products of fatty acids
which contain odd numbers of carbons. Fermented products such as Swiss cheese & yogurt may have a high concentration
of Propionic Acid. Propionic acid is produced naturally in the digestive tract and is a natural component of sweat.
This organic acid has properties in between those of Fatty Acids and the smaller organic Acids such as Acetic Acid. Propionic Acid
is typically used in bakery goods, breads, meat, meat products and pizza. It is not used in many other foodstuffs
due to it's strong odor.
Acetic Acid - The simplest organic acid, this is primarily used
to adjust pH. Most people know Acetic Acid as vinegar. Acetic acid is a byproduct of fermenting fruits and grains
to make wine, cider, spirits and beer.
NOTE: The chick starter I use for my egg food only contains
organic acid for preservatives. That is why I use that particular one.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Not only a necessary
nutrient, Vitamin C is also an inexpensive food preservative. Ascorbic Acid is water soluble and is a good anti-oxidant
and anti-fungal compound. It is also tart or sour and is used as a flavor enhancer. Soft drinks typically use
a lot of Ascorbic Acid. Some pet foods may also contain Vitamin C for it's anti-oxidant properties. Ascorbic Acid
is also an organic acid, but in a different class from the above discussed Organic Acids - it is not a fatty acid derivative.
Humans, primates and other animals have lost their ability to synthesize their own Vitamin
C, and this is why it is an essential vitamin. Vitamin C deficiency is called scurvy. Foods which
contain Vitamin C are plentiful. This list is by no means exhaustive: guava, bell peppers, papaya, OJ, citrus,
brocolli, berries, melons, mango, spinach and cabbage.
Obviously, this is a very safe food & feed preservative.
DID YOU KNOW? Vitamin C and Vitamin E work together in the
body. Vitamin C 'recharges' Vitamin E, so that Vitamin E can work again as an antioxidant quenching free radicals and
reactive oxygen species, which protects cells from damage.
Rosemary Oil: Used in several pellets and mashes.
It too is a natural antioxidant and also adds a pleasant aroma to products. Roudybush and Zupreem use it as a
preservative in their bird products.
Mixed Tocopherols: Tocopherol is just a fancy name
for Vitamin E. Whereas most people think of Vitamin E as being a single entity, these are actually a family
of compounds. There are four tocopherols: Alpha, Beta, Delta & Gamma, plus their four corresponding tocotrienols
which are similar in structure but contain double bonds.
As an aside, Tocotrienols are actually believed to be better anti-oxidants than the tocopherols.
Tocotrienols come from natural products such as rice bran, coconut or palm oil. They are unsaturated (contain
double bonds) and are able to insert themselves better into cell membranes. In studies of rats being fed carcinogens, tocotrienols
exhibited a remarkable protective effect over the rats which did not receive tocotrienols in their diet at all.
Food for thought...
Alpha Tocopherol accounts for 80% of the activity of Vitamin E but Gamma Tocopherol is also
biologically active. Most Alpha Tocopherol on the market is chemically synthesized. Due to a quirk in chemistry,
certain compounds (termed 'chiral' from Greek 'cheir' for hand) can have a mirror image or a handedness to them referred
to as D or L, with D being the biologically active form. Natural tocopherols are all of the D or biologically active
form, whereas synthetics are a 50:50 mix of D:L and therefore only have half the activity of natural E Vitamins.
Mixed tocopherols are from natural sources and are therefore all D forms of Vitamin E.
Tocopherols preserve food by preventing oxidation and oils from going rancid. Typically,
when used as a food preservative (versus using tocopherols for vitamin nutrition), the mix will contain little Alpha Tocopherol
and more of the other Tocopherols. This is because a very high of a dose of Vitamin E is not necessarily
a good thing.
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