When we talk about cellulose so the first thing which comes to our mind is plants, and as far as I remember cellulose is a basic plant chemical which helps the plants in storing energy for later growth.
In human body microcrystalline cellulose is also a very crucial micro particle. Unfortunately not a lot of people know about it in this article we will try to find out some benefits of microcrystalline cellulose, but before that we will try to understand what actually it is and how should we get this beneficial nutrient into our diet.
What is Microcrystalline Cellulose?
As we can see from its name, micro crystalline, it is a micro form of cellulose, because cellulose is a bigger molecule of sugar more or less like starch that is why it is present in crystalline form, and this is why it is called a crystalline molecule.
But the question is why do we humans need a fiber which we cannot even digest? I remember that in 10th standard I read in my biology book that only herbivores have got those enzymes in their stomach which helps in digesting cellulose, we humans cannot digest it.
But still we needed cellulose, for creating micro crystalline cellulose companies use branches and thin wood by crushing all these things they create this fiber.
Where Do We Use it?
You will be amazed to know that this cellulose is used in a lot of industries not only in food industry but also in drug manufacturing.
Nah, it is not illegal, it is safe and legal all around the world. However, those companies who are making the micro crystalline cellulose must be claiming that they are manufacturing this fiber, they tend to follow some rules while picking up the plant type.
It is being used as an additive in drug industry and as a solvent or mixer for the beauty industry because of its anti-caking property.
In market there are varying types of microcrystalline cellulose, which are available for various purposes, the varying types are due their sizes and density.
Is it Safe?
As authorities have allowed for this filler, so it means that it is safe. Moreover, if we study cellulose at a deeper level then it is quite obvious that it is a complex sugar and nothing more than that.
For supporting their industries food and meat companies decided to have additives and fillers, but for the consumer safety they had to rely on these fillers, however, MCC additive or filler is quite expensive than the normal starch fillers. Which can be easily extracted from garden plants.
What type of Fiber it is?
As far as we know, our human body intakes two sorts of fibers. The first one is the soluble fiber, which gets mixed with the watery content of our body and then flows through our digestive system, it is an easy to digest fiber, which carries a lot of nutrients with it.
On the other hand, we have got the non-soluble, cellulose is a type of non-soluble fiber, which means that it will not absorb or digest rapidly. For avoiding bowl issues and constipations, we need to make sure that we are getting a solid amount of insoluble fiber which we usually take through bread and rice, cellulose is a sort of alternative for that.
Do we Normally Have Cellulose in our Food?
Yeah we absolutely have some cellulose in our food, when we say that cellulose is a main component of any plant based food, then it means that even if you are having simple salad with kale or spinach then you are obviously eating cellulose.
In our normal everyday food, there are multiple food items which are rich source of cellulose. So, it means that there is no serious harm in having cellulose.
Side Effects
As I have mentioned before there are no such extreme side effects, but you may feel bloat and gas. Moreover, if you are already suffering with some genetic diseases regarding digestive tract then you should visit your doctor before consuming any such products which are rich in microcrystalline cellulose, so that you may not fall ill after having it.
