Comic Chemistry: Love and Preservatives

The webcomic Bug today had something positive to say about food preservatives:

While the webcomic Sheldon seemed to be having an off day with a reductionist fatalism about the reality do love and purpose.

I have to say that the idea of food preservatives acting as a preservative for us is an interesting one. the principle of Mithriditism (yes, there is a shout out to LOTR fans) is an old one and has some basis in fact for cumulative toxins like arsenic and mercury. Some very cool chemistry and biochemistry at the bottom of that idea.

As for the second comic I have to object to the word "only". Chemistry should be enough love for everybody. The comic then ends with a reference to "processed sugar" that has to make us pause when we consider the language. Sugar is a highly processed food and there is no "natural" process for making it other than personally sucking to juice out of sugar cane. That said, as an industrial process sugar and salt may come from natural sources but the food industry markets them as chemically pure reagents which I think is cool in itself. The only other foods that I can think of that are chemically pure would be home preservatives such as vinegar, alum and baking soda.