What’s Bromate free bread? (Effect of Bromate on baked goods)

By Esther.N Edeh, B.Sc -BCHHealth

10 minutes read.

Have you been thinking what’s the meaning of “Bromate Free” you often see on bread products nylon? let’s read on this blog post will tell you everything you need to know.

In this article:

What’s Bromate?

Bromate also known as Potassium bromate, is an oxidizing agent and one of the best and cheapest dough improvers in the baking industry. Due to its positive effects it plays a major role in the bread-making industry.

Potassium bromate has significant effect on food biomolecules, such as starch and protein, as it affects the extent of gelatinization, viscosity, swelling characteristics as well as gluten proteins.

It removes the sulfhydryl group and leads to the formation of disulfide linkages and thus improves the bread properties.

However, there are many research reports making it clear that it has negative impact on human health.

In that, it is believed as a potential human carcinogen by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and classified under class 2B.Group 2B or class 2B are classified by IARC as compounds with potential to cause cancer in humans.

Due to this, countries across world have either partially or completely banned it.

Potassium Bromate is a colourless, odourless white crystal salt normally in the form of powder, highly soluble in water and less soluble in acetone, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, methanol and toluene.

It has a melting point of 350 °C and decomposes at 370 °C.

In distilled water, potassium bromate degrades (350 °C−400 °C) to form potassium bromide (KBr) and oxygen (O2).

While in bread it degrades at lower temperature over the range 150 °C−250 °C because of the catalytic activity of metal ions such as Fe, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu and Al which are present in the flour.

The chemical formula for potassium bromate is (KBrO3) 

The above mentioned properties make potassium bromate a widely used and a permitted food additive in bread for improving its baking effect.

It is manufactured globally, especially in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan and Spain.

Though the acceptable dosages vary, due to regulation of the country, according to directives of the European Union and other countries.

Numerous techniques have evolved to determine the concentration of potassium bromate in bread.

A panel of FAO/WHO experts has banned potassium bromate as an additive to flour. However, according to the FDA 2023 – Food Additives Status List, the acceptable levels should be lower than 75 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg.

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Is there Alternative additive to potassium Bromate?

Because potassium bromate is inherently highly toxic, a need for replacers has been in high demand.

However, any replacer should possess characteristics similar to potassium bromate, such as ability to enhance the loaf volume, improve bread crumb grain and textural characteristics.

Some Bromate alternatives includes;

  • Oxidizing agents, such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which is non-toxic and equally improves the quality of bread, can be used as a replacer for potassium bromate.
  • Enzymes such as hemicellulases (volume rising), and
  • glutathione

What’s Bromate free bread?

Bromate free is a bread product that doesn’t contain potassium Bromate as the improving additives.

Related:

List of Foods Additives that Promotes Cancer

Other Negative Health Effect of Bromate in humans.

Apart from being reported as carcinogenic compound, Bromate has also been reported to cause some acute health implications, such as;

  • abdominal pain,
  • diarrhea,
  • irritation to the mucous membrane of the upper aerodigestive tract and vomiting.

However, under the optimum conditions, it is converted to potassium bromide which is not harmful for consumption.

It cannot be assumed that all the bromate is reduced to bromide. It entirely depends on the oven temperature, the duration of exposure and the quantity of potassium bromate used.

Therefore, there are chances for some residues to be left in the finished baked product.

Related:

Is Caramel Colour Found In Foods And Drinks Really Safe?

Does Bromate poses Negative Effect to your Environment?

According to International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC), Potassium bromate has not only been used as an oxidizing agent in flour milling and bread production but also in dyeing of textiles and as a neutralizer in the cosmetic industry.

Due to increasing usage, potassium bromate has a direct impact on the environment which in turn can significantly affect life on the planet. Most of the inorganic salts are in anionic form in water.

How do you determine the presence of potassium Bromate in bread?

Normally potassium bromate is quantified by ion chromatography subsequent to a serial cleaning step, though similar cleaning steps with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separates compounds dissolved in a liquid sample and allows qualitative and quantitative analysis of what components and how much of each component are contained in the sample, can give good results ahead of post column processing.

However, Chemiluminescence FIA offers better sensitivity result, with less time consumption, making it the most suitable method for the effective analysis of potassium bromate in bread and flour.

Conclusion

Bromate also known as Potassium bromate, is an oxidizing agent, a white crystal salt in the form of powder very soluble in water and one of the best and cheapest dough improvers in the baking industry.

Due to its positive effects it plays a major role in the bread-making industry.

Also it’s used as a dyeing agent and neutralizer in textile industry and costumetic industry.

However, It is believed as a potential human carcinogen due to several studies that have been carried out on it.

And may impact your environment negatively since it’s soluble in water, in that it may mix with water bodies through food tossing, wastage and decay on your environment, or through effluent or waste.

As a result, Bromate has been banned from adding to food products especially bread or flour by many regulatory agencies in many countries including US, UK, and Nigeria etc.

When a bread product doesn’t contain potassium bromate it means it’s “bromate free”

However, they normally contain other improving food additives such vitamin C, enzymes like hemicellulases (volume rising), and glutathione

I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion or criticism if any. Cheers!

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The content provided in Living Good is for informational and educational purpose only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over the counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.

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