A New Puzzlement

[wyld_dandelyon]

As I've mentioned, I'm allergic to corn.

Now they're making "cornplastic" glasses, plates, forks, and the like.

Is it safe for me to eat with/out of them?

Comments

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

Based on what I jut Googled up regarding the process, I expect it would be safe. However, it might be wise to do so in a controlled environment on your first attempt, so you can catch any corn-related symptoms if they occur.

The short version is: The process uses dextrose, in this case extracted from corn because they're in the Midwest and corn is both local and cheap. The dextrose is fermented into lactic acid, which is used to construct poly lactic acid (PLA), which is the polymer they use to make the plastic. One provider makes the point that the dextrose can be from any source, and they are in fact exploring the idea of using non-food biomass as the sugar source instead.

Generally, proteins are what trigger the reaction in an allergy. Between the extraction of the dextrose, the fermentation, and then the extrusion into products, I would be surprised if enough corn protein persisted to trigger a reaction. OTOH, I can't completely discount the possibility, either.

Thank you!

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

So, the answer is what I suspected--probably safe.

Of course, the most likely reason I'd have those around is some office gathering where I can't be sure of the ingredients or pristine status of same in the food itself...these days, when I have symptoms I can rarely pinpoint a likely culprit.

Food allergies, unlike nasal ones, take some time to create gastrointestinal issues, which makes it hard to figure them out anyway.

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow. I peeked over here as miintikwa pimped you.

I AM ALLERGIC TO CORN TOO. I have anaphylactic reactions eating and breathing it.

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

Oh. I got all excited and forgot to answer your question.

My mouth tingles and my throat can swell (painfully, though not - yet - dangerously) when I eat from or drink out of a corn-made or corn-coated cup/dish/utensil. I prefer to avoid it.

[rowyn]

One of my friends said the corn-made utensils at his workplace start to dissolve after a while and taste odd, so I would tend not to trust them either.

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

I think they're supposed to be biodegradable, so I'd expect the dissolving.
It sucks that so much "green" stuff is made from corn.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Biodegradeable should let you eat one meal in peace!

IMHO, of course.

Welcome!

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

I get the double-whammy of no-corn and no-wheat/gluten too! If you want to see some of the things I've found to eat, using my gluten-free tag will get you there.

There's not a lot yet, but I'm sure there will be more.

Thank goodness I don't get the anaphylactic reactions; the gastrointestinal symptoms and generalized inflammation-related and allergy-exacerbation stuff is quite bad enough!

Re: Welcome!

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

ARGH MY PHONE HAS MESSED THIS UP TWICE NOW THIS IS WHY I DON'T USE IT.
*Deep breath!*

I've the severe corn allergy, an allergy to all tree nuts except almonds (peanuts are OK as they're actually legumes), and an awful intolerance to chives /garlic /all onions.

I don't know what I'd do with all of the time & energy required to keep me safe & fed if I didn't have these conditions! :)

Edited because my phone messed up and I'm anal-retentive about punctuation & spelling!

Re: Welcome!

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Yeah--I started this gig of having to read all ingredients while I was unemployed and putting a lot of time into writing, and it took out about one short-story's worth of time a week!

I feel better and have more energy and focus--but if you're standing around the grocery store squinting at packaging, you're not at the computer writing.

[wyld-dandelyon.livejournal.com]

Hey--if you're here because Miintikwa pimped me, do you want a reading? If so, please hop over to the other post and let me know!

P.S. I'm @Wyld_Dandelyon on Twitter.

[whitecrow0.livejournal.com]

No, that's OK. I've had two readings from two different people this past week and I feel like I've taken enough advantage of services and haven't paid enough attention to what I've already been told. I was just curious about you!

I don't have home internet and it's hard to type on my phone (which is also slow) so I'm really slow & spotty, but I'll try to be around!