| Potassium Bromate Replacers |
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| Written by Rick Cavanaugh | |
| Thursday, 09 August 2007 | |
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Potassium Bromate Replacer Many bakeries are looking for alternatives to potassium bromate. Potassium bromate is a bread oxidizer that is used to increase the strength of the dough during the proofing to baking stages. It works by oxidizing the gluten di-sulfide bridges. This gives the dough more strength. Unfortunately Potassium bromate is known by the state of California to be a carcinogenic compound and must be labeled as such. How the potassium bromate problem started The ozonization of drinking water causes bromate to be formed as a by product. Research has been done to confirm the safety of ozonated water and it was found the potassium bromate causes renal cancer in rats when they drank water with potassium bromate. This is why the origins are connected to drinking water acts. The state of California created a law known as proposition 65. Proposition 65 requires the Governor to publish a list of chemicals that are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Nearly 580 chemicals have been listed, potassium bromate is on it. This meant any product sold in California would need to be labeled that the product contained a substance known to the state of California to cause cancer. This started the potassium bromate problem. In 1993 the World Health Organization (WHO) also banned potassium bromate. Several nations including Canada banned the use of potassium bromate based on the WHO report. Recently, some nations are allowing the use of potassium bromate again, however only at very low levels. Information on Potassium Bromate Potassium Bromate is a very strong oxidizer and when in the pure form it has a oxidizing grade of 5.1 ( UN Dangerous Articles Standard NO:1484.) It should be stored in cool and dry warehouses away from dampness and heat, always keep it away from combustion-supporting articles and never allow it to come into contact with organic compound and combustible substances. Normally, Potassium Bromate is used at levels less than 70 parts per million parts of flour or less than 45 parts per million of finished dough. Normal usage levels are 10 to 30 parts per million and when used at these low levels a majority of the potassium bromate reacts (potassium bromate is very reactive), if there is any remaining, it will evaporate during the baking process. residual potassium bromate levels are measured in parts per billion. The FDA feels that 20 parts per billion or less of potassium bromate is safe. Ingredient Experts Bromate Replacer Ingredient Experts has enzyme based solutions to your bread production problems. We provid e custom blends of various enzymes combined with ascorbic acid and azodicarbonamide that will give excellent dough conditioning properties with a fairly "clean" label. Many of these enzymes are too powerful to accurately measure in a bakery. Our blends will combine the right enzymes in a easy to use level that is perfect for modern production plants. Blends of ascorbic acid, ADA, glucose oxidase, phospholipase, xylanase, and alpha amylase are used to maximize the strength of the gluten, while allowing excellent machining and handling of the dough. Experience our innovative bromate replacement blends. |
