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Talisin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:15:54 GMT

Bet you have seen Bromated Flour on the shelves:

Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate (KBrO3, also called E924 in food labeling), is a chemical in the form of white crystals or powder, which is added to bromated the flour. It is an agent which promotes gluten development in dough. This gluten is allergic to many people. Potassium bromate is also a very powerful oxidizer, thus damaging cells. Bromate is considered a category 2B carcinogen (= possibly carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Potassium bromate has been banned in most of developed countries in 1994 including all countries in European Union (chlorine, bromates, and peroxides in food is banned in the EU), UK, Canada. It is also banned in Sri Lanka, China, Nigeria, Brazil, and Peru. Japanese manufacturers have voluntarily stopped using bromated flour in 1980. However, Yamazaki Baking Company has resumed using it in 2005.

In the US, bromated flour is legal and there is no labeling required to show that flour is bromated – although state by state labeling laws may say that flour producers must label the flour if it is bromated or not. The FDA allows bromated flour if potassium bromate concentration in flour does not exceed 750 parts per 1 million. These regulations can be found at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/FCF136.html. Since 1991, FDA to urge bakers to voluntarily stop using it. In California a warning label is required when bromated flour is used.

To avoid packaged foods which contain bromated flour, look for "potassium bromate" or "bromated flour" in the ingredient list. Sadly, it is not always labeled. So your sure bet is just go for whole flour. Local pizza shop use bromated flour. Arby’s French Toastix, Burger King, and Johnny Rocket Restaurant use bromated flour. Gold Medal flours by General Mills are bromated. Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut use bleached flour from chemicals other then potassium bromate. So while it is free of potassium bromated, other chemicals which are listed above. Please keep in mind that all of these chemicals are toxic to human body.

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