By Wei Na

Chicken sold at the Qinghe agricultural market was prepared in industrial-grade caustic soda, or lye, the Beijing Morning Post reported Saturday. Although it is included in the Ministry of Health's list of 47 forbidden food additives, the Haidian branch of the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce has never specifically tested for caustic soda.

"They would soak the whole chicken in caustic soda and wash it with water the next day before taking it to the market," a Qinghe resident surnamed Li, who claimed to have witnessed the process, told the paper. Li's tip led the Qinghe industry and commerce station to investigate.

The chicken legs in question weighed over 0.65 kilograms each, and appeared whiter and fresher than the others on sale. However, those good-looking legs were found to be overly alkaline, with a pH value of 8, according to the report.

Fan Zhihong, a food science PhD from the China Nutrition Society, told the Global Times that industrial-grade caustic soda is forbidden because it is an irritant that can cause respiratory diseases or burns to the digestive tract.

"In alkaline conditions, meat protein tends to absorb water and become tender," Fan said. "Peddlers can still make the same amount of money while selling at a lower price because the meat weighs 20 percent more after soaking in caustic soda, which also bleaches the chicken skin."

An official surnamed Yang with the Qinghe industry and commerce station told the Global Times Sunday that the market's "chicken situation" is under inspection.

"We haven't received such reports before, and there has been no specific testing for caustic soda," Yang said.

Unlike other substances on the list of illegal additives released by the health ministry on April 8, there are no specified testing methods for caustic soda as there are for substances like Sudan Red, a carcinogenic dye, according to the ministry's website.