Published Spring 2013
In the course of his daily routine, a mashgiach deals with dozens-if not hundreds-of food ingredients. In the arcane world of modern food technology, terms like “enzymes”, “substrates”, “emulsifiers”, “stabilizers”, and “surfactants” lend some technical significance. But, in the real world one may ask, “What has an enzyme done for me lately?” This article will address some of the direct applications of enzymes in our diet.
The Jewish people, the am hanifchar, the chosen people, have been faithful to the Torah’s commandments for thousands of years. Of those commandments, Kashrus has served as an anchor of the Jew to his G-d, ensuring that even in the most mundane of life’s requirements, one is always cognizant of the source of one’s subsistence. Our Rabbis also teach us that there is a mystical relationship between the foods we eat and our spiritual well being.
The use of spices in preparing food has played a role in history disproportionate to their nutritional value. A ransom paid by Alaric the Goth that included three thousand pounds of pepper delayed the attack of Rome for two years. The discovery of the New World was due, in great measure to the search for such spices; that was the main objective of the early trans-Atlantic explorers. Our Rabbis tell us1 that the Torah is compared to salt and the Mishna to pepper. Indeed, the kashrus issues related to salt and pepper give us sufficient reason to analyze these primary food ingredients.
The talmudic paradigm for a concept that is blatantly obvious is Keveiasa Bechuscha, the issue is as clear as the permissibility of mixing eggs into dairy products. However, things are not always as simple as they may seem, and just as the Ba’alei HoTosfos in Maseches Eiruvin discuss how less than “obvious” this concept may be, the production and use of eggs in modern food production pose questions whose answers are far from being considered obvious. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the issues that confront modern kashrus supervision as they relate to egg production.
Published Spring 2013
Centuries ago, the ancient Greeks recognized that there were certain properties in leaven which caused chemical changes in flour and water converting it into bread. They called the magical ingredient “enzyme” which is the Greek term for “in leaven.” Today enzyme remains the term by which we refer to these biological catalysts. We now understand that enzymes are proteins found in every living organism be it animal, vegetable, or microbial.
Published Winter 2010
The Torah extols Eretz Yisroel as the land blessed with seven types of produce: wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives and dates (D’varim 8:8). Most types of fruit are harvested once a year. Since fresh fruit spoils quickly, the challenge has been to find a way to enjoy them year round. Modern processing methods, such as canning and freezing, allow for a form of preservation similar to that of fresh fruit. Older methods, however, involved processing the fruit into a new product markedly different from the original, but with equally tasty and desirable traits. Dried grapes – raisins – are a case in point. Grapes are harvested in the fall within a span of about six weeks. Some of the crop is eaten as fresh fruit, and much is squeezed to make […]
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