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It sounds disgusting, but it’s true. A white powder, E 920, which is made from hair, fur, nails and hooves, is commonly added to loaves, doughnuts and buns. It most often originates from China.
The white powder is labeled E 920; clever sellers often disguise it as the more appealing-sounding L-cysteine. But otherwise it’s still the same thing. The use of L-cysteine was approved by the EU last November and it is commonly added not only to animal feed but also to baked goods for people.
Baked goods
„E 920 is part of the improvers we also use when producing ordinary baked goods,“ Penam confirmed. „However, we strictly use L-cysteine of synthetic origin,“ it added.
The vast majority of L-cysteine is produced in China by dissolving hair, for example from hair salons, feathers, donkey hooves and pig bristles in large quantities of concentrated hydrochloric acid.
It is then added to bakery products to artificially create a flexible and firm dough. This delicacy is found, for example, in the following products:
