Alvarinho Luis
Microwave oven is an important cooking gadget in the present era. Microwaves have three characteristics that allow them to be used in cooking: they are reflected by metal; they pass through glass, paper, plastic, and similar materials; and they are absorbed by foods. Microwaves being non-ionizing radiation are much safer than X-rays. So they are used for cooking due to its convenience, high energy efficiency, rapid processing time and ease of use.
Microwaves cause water molecules in food to vibrate a billion or more times causing polarity reversals per second which produces heat that cooks the food quickly. Unlike frying, microwave cooking eliminates the formation of carcinogenic compounds like tar and charcoal on edges of food like pizza.
Whether cooking in a microwave oven is beneficial or not depends on how and how long the food is cooked. Research showed that microwave cooked tomato products had higher available levels of cancer-fighting lycopene and antioxidants than in raw form.
Cornell University researchers found that lycopene levels rose 35% after cooking tomatoes for 30 minutes at 88 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, research published in Food Chemistry suggests that microwaving vegetables have a positive effect on some antioxidants by increasing their bioavailability, particularly carotenoids found in carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, spinach, kale and asparagus.
When heating food, the microwave radiation generates heat that immediately reaches the molecules below the outer surface of the food; whereas heat from other cooking methods moves into food gradually via conduction.
There is a health risk of unsafe amounts of chemicals such as polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene leaking into the food when it is heated at high temperature in the microwave oven. Microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers (microwave unsafe) leads to the release of dioxins (known carcinogens) and estrogen-like compound – Biphenyl-A which is known to adversely affect fetal and juveniles even at picomolar to nanomolar doses. Moreover, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and glycotoxins also form whenever food is cooked at high heat.
A point of caution is in place. Microwave ovens are frequently used for reheating leftover, so bacterial contamination may not be repressed if safe temperature is not reached, resulting in food-borne illness. Research published in The Lancet warn that microwaving human milk alters the structure of amino acids, which can lead to functional, structural and immunological abnormalities in the infant.
