Is gypsum in tofu harmful to human body? Can tofu be made without gypsum?

When making tofu in China, it is customary to use gypsum or brine as coagulant to promote the formation of tofu. A small amount of gypsum or brine will not cause harm to the human body, because the human body can metabolize it and supplement a small amount of calcium instead. But if you eat too much at one time, there will be some side effects, such as too much gypsum, which is easy to cause stones.

Gypsum used to make tofu is essentially calcium sulfate, which belongs to a protein coagulant. Gypsum itself is also a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, and it is not toxic. Tofu with gypsum will be white and contain more water, which is often called "tender tofu" or "south tofu". But if you eat too much plaster, it will increase the burden on your kidneys, especially those with kidney calculi or urinary calculi.

The brine used to make tofu is essentially magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride. Brine tofu is yellow and white with low water content, and is often called "old tofu" or "north tofu". Brine itself is toxic, but in the process of using brine to order tofu, magnesium ions in brine will replace calcium ions in soybean milk and become nontoxic brine tofu. Relatively speaking, brine tofu is healthier than gypsum tofu.

Tofu is vegetarian with low fat and high protein. Eating tofu often has many benefits. Generally, there is no need to be too nervous about gypsum and brine contained in tofu or other bean products. These are normal food additives, as long as they are not eaten in excess, they will not have an impact on health. If it is really taboo, you can also use other substances as tofu coagulants.

In addition to gypsum and brine, there are many materials that can be used as coagulants, such as gluconolactone commonly used in lactone tofu; There is also sour pulp, which is often used for sour pulp tofu (sour pulp is soybean milk water squeezed out by tofu and fermented by lactic acid bacteria). There are also daily seasonings such as citric acid, white vinegar and salt. Although the efficiency of coagulating tofu is relatively low, it can also be used to make tofu.