A Los Angeles couple is upset about a bag of black sesame seeds that they purchased that, when soaked, turned the water black.

About six months ago, the elderly couple brought the bag of black sesame seeds back to Rivera Food Service, Inc., a Los Angeles food wholesaler, for a refund. The business refused to give them a refund because they had no receipt.

On April 19, Ms. Shizhong Wang, still concerned about the issue, complained to The Epoch Times. “This bag of sesame seeds cost a little more than ten dollars. Although it is not a lot of money, I’m quite upset at what had happened,” she said.

She said, “Last June I bought a bag of black sesame seeds, ‘Lianhe’ brand, from Rivera Food Service, Inc. One day I soaked the sesame seeds, and the water turned black. The sesame seeds looked fine, but the water was still black no matter how much I washed it. Black sesame is supposed to be good for the health, but I could not consume it because of the ink-like black water.”

Wang said she thought the businessmen at Rivera Food Service “only cared about making a profit at the cost of people’s health.” Wang’s husband, Mr. Zhang, said the black sesame must have come from China. The bag they bought had a label with the name “Lianhe International Food,” and there was no other information, such as country of origin, manufacturer, product bar code, or expiration date.

According to an interview with David Huang, Lianhe International Food Company’s director, the black sesame was purchased from Specialty Commodities Inc. The product carried an ETO (ethylene Oxide) sterilization certificate and the country of origin was India.

Huang said, “I soaked the black sesame in a bowl of water overnight. The next day, the skin of the sesame was still black. The black water should be the natural color it gives. The cost of black sesame and white sesame seeds are about the same, thus, dying the white sesame black is not cost effective for the manufacturer.”

Jessica Dodd, quality control manager for Specialty Commodities, said the seeds were imported from India in July 2010 and January 2011, but the order number would be needed to track down the shipment that was sold to Lianhe International Food.

Rivera Food Service’s manager said that they had sealed last year’s records after they filed their tax returns this year, and were not able to provide any information.

Investigating the Inky Water

Wang demonstrated the process of soaking the black sesame seeds at her home in El Monte. She placed a handful of sesame seeds onto a piece of white linen, and soaked them in a white bowl of clear tap water. A few minutes later, the water turned black. She poured the black water into a water bottle. The water looked opaque and there was no residue, but one could smell the scent of burnt caramel. Most of the soaked sesame seeds were still black, but a few looked faded.

Is it normal for black sesame seeds to fade when soaked? The Epoch Times interviewed Dr. Gao Dawei, the former dean of the Department of Food Processing and Engineering of South China University of Technology. Gao said, “The natural color of black sesame seeds is the result of anthocyanins. After being soaked, the water can become clear light purple, and should not look like ink.”

He thinks that the sesame seeds Wang bought were probably dyed with burnt caramel, since burnt caramel is inexpensive and can be used to dye the seeds in large quantities.

He added, “The Chinese people have been consuming burnt caramel for thousands of years. Our ancestors added burnt caramel when making soy sauce. Food processing companies nowadays manufacture low cost burnt caramel from the catalytic reaction of ammonia, thus, reducing the safety of the food products. The dark color of cola is made with this type of food chemical.”

He suspected that the black ink color from the bag of sesame seeds that Wang bought was caused by burnt caramel that was chemically processed. The purpose of adding burnt caramel to the sesame seeds is to add more shine to the product and make it more appealing.

The media report caught the attention of Jeanne-Marie Weathers, the head of food safety for California Public Health Council. On April 20, Ms. Weathers sent an investigator to collect the black sesame seeds from Wang. So far, it is not known when the investigation results will become available, as Weathers did not respond to a request for information on the case.

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