A video of a young boy seen feeling uneasy, and screaming with in pain after allegedly consuming liquid nitrogen smoked biscuit went viral recently. The incident that took place in Davanagere district in Karnataka raised concerns about the trending liquid nitrogen biscuits, smoky ice creams sold without any warning. Using liquid nitrogen in food and drinks has been quite the rage among children, for their ability to produce misty smoke-like vapors from the nose and mouth on being eaten. While the rumors earlier said that the boy had died post consumption of the liquid nitrogen biscuits, it was clarified by Davanagere police authorities that the boy has recovered.
Police visited the spot and shut the stall the next day and the district health authorities have been investigating the case.
Mohan G Kshatriyan, a Tamil film director and producer took to microblogging site X (formerly twitter) to share the video, which has gone viral. The translation of Kshatriyan’s tweet, originally read: “The snack that is sold like this #SmokeBiscuit should be banned immediately.. children will be tempted to eat it after seeing the smoke.. what is poured into it #LiquidNitrogen .. if even a spoon is consumed it is dangerous to life. Tamil Nadu government should ban this @CMOTamilnadu”
Liquid nitrogen in food: How it affects your health?
According to Dr Sumithra S, consultant pediatrics and pediatric intensive care, Aster Women and Children Hospital, Whitefield, Bangalore, liquid nitrogen has been used for freezing the food to prevent bacterial growth or to prevent spoilage.
“It’s boiling point is as low as minus 170. Hence, when the liquid nitrogen in food comes in contact with the air, it immediately evaporates. The problem is when the liquid nitrogen itself goes inside the body. If it completely evaporates, it’s not a problem,” says Dr Sumithra.
The minute liquid nitrogen is removed from a container and is out in open air it turns to gaseous form. “It first creates a corrosion and burning sensation in the mouth, once it enters the food pipe, it leads to perforations in the food pipe and the intestine. It also explodes the intestine and can be fatal in some cases. Usage of liquid nitrogen in the food industry and the effects caused on the consumers have been discussed in the pediatric emergency medical conferences,” Dr AN Venkatesh, emergency director, Apollo hospitals, Bangalore, Karnataka region told Happiest Health. He adds that liquid nitrogen will have the same effect as that of an acid on the human body.
“When there is some liquid nitrogen left out, it can come in contact with your skin, maybe into your oral cavity. So, they kind of burn, causing frostbite. Also, it’s so cold that it can burn your skin and damage tissues in the body (necrosis). If accidentally it’s been on the skin, it can burn your skin. If the liquid nitrogen is kind of ingested accidentally, then it can burn your oral cavity,” added Dr Sumithra
FDA warning against liquid nitrogen
According to US Food and Drug Administration, liquid nitrogen has been used as a freezing agent in food preparation and preservation in the rapid freezing of foods (such as ice cream), to process dry herbs and spices, and to rapidly chill beverages to enhance presentation and consumer appeal.
It states that liquid nitrogen in food can cause severe damage to skin and internal organs if mishandled or accidently ingested due to the extremely low temperatures they can maintain. Liquid nitrogen should not be directly consumed or allowed to directly come in contact with the skin.
Mishaps in the past too
This is not the first time that nitrogen doused foods have come under the scanner. In 2017, a man from Gurgaon burnt a hole in his stomach after consuming a cocktail mixed with the chemical. The man had to be operated and nearly half of his stomach was removed. The mishap prompted the Haryana government to ban the mixing of liquid nitrogen in food and drinks.
In countries like Indonesia, there have been viral TikTok trends where teenagers are filming themselves eating ‘dragon’s breath’, a cereal puff doused in liquid nitrogen. Many children have been reported to suffer stomach aches, food poisoning and skin burns.
Stringent laws needed to stop liquid nitrogen in food industry
Dr Venkatesh adds that the compressed liquid nitrogen is an essential chemical used for medical purposes, but is being misused for fun, to make snacks, dessert, and paan attractive. “It requires stringent laws to stop the sale of food products laced with liquid nitrogen and its access to all. How is it being sold in open market? This should be reserved for medicinal purposes only,” he adds.
While no study has been done on the effects of liquid nitrogen in the food industry, Dr Venkatesh says that it is nothing but creating bombs like explosives served to consumers. “Lack of warning labels on the food products laced with liquid nitrogen and lack of awareness among the public are also concerning,” adds Dr Venkatesh.
Takeaways
Smoky ice cream, burning fire paan, and dragon’s breath (a cereal puff) may attract many in food fairs, thanks to liquid nitrogen in food that gives a smoky effect. In a recent incident, a boy died soon after consuming liquid nitrogen biscuit in a south Indian city. Use of harmful chemicals in the food industry has The medical fraternity opines that the essential chemical being misused with food should be banned.
