Raise your hand if you don't have at least one can of tuna in the pantry. Practical, safe and ready to use, canned tuna, in addition to meeting the taste of many, allows us to improvise last minute lunches, save dinner if we have not done the shopping, prepare many and varied recipes. During the lockdown its consumption increased (+ 33.6% in the weeks of the beginning of the emergency) also due to the possibility of stocking it and keeping it for a long time.

Lockdown or not, canned tuna always likes

According to the data of theAncit (National Association of Fish Conservations), in 2019 there was an increase in national production (about 74 thousand tons, + 0.25% on 2018) and in the market value of canned tuna, which is confirmed as one of the most virtuous sectors of the Italian food industry. According to one search Doxa / Ancit, then, the canned tuna It results to be present in 94% of Italian homes is 1 in 2 Italians (43%) eat it every week. And this despite the numerous fake news that circulate on this product. The Italians seem not to fall for it and continue to appreciate, however, this fish preserve.

5 false myths about canned tuna dispelled by the expert

What is said about canned tuna? And what is true and what is not? Luca Piretta (gastroenterologist and nutritionist professor of Allergies and Food Intolerances at the Campus Biomedical University of Rome) collaborated with the Ancit to dispel the main fake news on tuna. Here are the urban legends that circulate about this product and the expert's opinion.

1. "Canned tuna is not as nutritious and healthy as fresh".
Thanks to cutting-edge preservation techniques and the sterilization process that does not require the addition of preservatives, today the box keeps the product safe and long-lasting by fighting waste and preserving its nutritional characteristics, completely similar to those of fresh tuna. "Both are rich in noble proteinseven canned tuna contains more (25 g per 100 g of food) than fresh tuna (21 g per 100 g of food), since the presence of muscle is more concentrated in the can and the percentage is less present of water compared to fresh fish ", explains Luca Piretta" Both bring acids omega 3 fats, protectors of the cardiovascular system. The content of vitamins and minerals also remains unchanged: canned tuna like fresh tuna is rich in iodine, potassium, iron, phosphorus and B vitamins. In addition, the preserved product, at the same nutritional value with the fresh one, is cheaper and offers numerous advantages in relation to its easy availability, shelf life and versatility in the kitchen .

2. "Canned tuna is not suitable for feeding the third and fourth age".
Canned tuna, thanks to the supply of noble proteins and essential amino acids, is precious for tissue reconstruction and cell turnover, for fcognitive-brain anointings, for the protection and functioning of blood vessels and for the bone and tooth health. And in the third and fourth age it helps fight the sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass associated with the reduction of strength and physical performance, which affects the adults over 60 years, significantly accentuating in subjects who have turned 80 years old. The expert explains: "First of all, it is rich in proteins of high biological value and therefore it is very useful to combat sarcopenia, that is, the loss of muscle mass, which occurs over the years. It also provides valuable nutrients for the health of the heart and arteries such as omega 3 fatty acids and is rich in vitamins and mineral salts that with their antioxidant power counteract the aging processes. Still, it's packed with Vitamin D (which tends to decrease especially in the elderly), valuable for fighting osteoporosis. Finally, canned tuna is a food that is easy to chew and highly digestible and can advantageously replace other dishes that are more expensive and require more complex culinary preparation .

3. "Canned tuna contains preservatives".
Tuna, water or oil and sea salt, natural flavors: these are the ingredients of canned tuna that no conservant neededthe. Once filled, the packages are closed tightly and then sterilized at a temperature between 110 ° and 120 °, thus ensuring safe storage for several years, inside the sealed metal box. Luca Piretta explains: «Canned tuna is a thermally sterilized food in a sealed metal box. Sterilization guarantees the healthiness and conservation of the tuna and allows to maintain all its nutritional and organoleptic properties (smell, color, flavor, consistency); it is, therefore, in all respects a preserve without preservatives, healthy and safe from a hygienic point of view. With this method, naturalness is not compromised, and the integrity of the product is guaranteed, without the need to resort to preservatives ".

4. "Canned tuna has a high mercury content".
Regarding mercury, a survey conducted by the Experimental Station for the Food Preserving Industry (SSICA) on behalf of Ancit, analyzed samples of tuna cans in oil of different brands, taken directly from the market: the recorded mercury value it was almost always less than 0.5 milligrams per kilo, and in any case well below the maximum limit, set by European and national legislation, of 1 milligram per kilo on the fresh weight of fish muscle. «The SSICA analyzes are particularly interesting because they have also confirmed the presence of respectable selenium values (over 500 micrograms per kilo) capable of mitigating the toxicity of the possible presence of reduced quantities of mercury ", explains the professor. "In any case, taking into account the recommended weekly quantity and the actual percentage of mercury present in the tuna, it is still a large safety margin".

5. "Canned tuna has a high sodium content".
In a box of 80 grams (equal to 52 grams of drained tuna) there are 0.16 grams of sodium: the same amount that we introduce by eating an average slice of bread (about 50 grams) or a portion of 100 grams of mozzarella. Luca Piretta: "In the latest revision of the Nutrient and Energy Reference Intake Levels for the Italian population (LARN), the intake of 1.5 grams of sodium per day, that is 3.75 grams / day of salt, essential nutrient for the well-being of the body. Canned tuna in oil has an average sodium content of 316 milligrams per 100 grams of food, therefore below the recommended limits. It is therefore correct to say that canned tuna provides macro and micronutrients that are precious allies for our body, including sodium, in the right quantities .