A directive on setting new standards for artificial lemon juice is under review, said Rasoul Dinarvand, head of the Food and Drug Administration
He pointed to counterfeit lemon juice in the market made from Citric Acid and artificial dyes and sold as natural juice. “Fraudsters are always one step ahead and despite the testing procedures carried out at the FDA laboratories, the swindlers always find ways to outsmart screening devices,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
There is a specific substance in natural lemon juice which distinguishes it from fake lemon juice. However, by adding a single drop of the substance in fake lemon juice the testing devices are unable to detect their spurious nature, he pointed out.
Research studies show that artificial additives to fruit juice cause lung cancer and thymus gland tumors in rats. They also cause leukemia and chronic respiratory disease and are now linked to breast cancer in mice. In humans, artificial additives can cause low blood sugar attacks (reactive hypoglycemia).
The FDA seeks to address this problem by setting two benchmarks, one for natural fruit juice and one for concentrated juice or unnatural juice so that people can easily make a distinction. The directive will come into force once approved by the Health Ministry.
