Other Ingredients
Additives are not new. Additions to food have been made since pre-historic
times, mainly to help preserve food and make it safer to eat. Salt, vinegar and
sugar are traditional methods of preservation. In today's kitchen we use many
flavourings and colours, cream of tartar and baking powder - but seldom recognise
that
these are food additives. Many additives also occur naturally in foods,
eg.
citric acid in fruits.
Without additives it would be impossible to feed modern urban populations.
There would be a dramatic reduction in the number and variety of foods available
and
there would be a significant increase in food poisoning outbreaks and
foodborne
diseases.
Newly milled flour without further treatment does not make good bread. Flour
treatment agents are used to mature the flour and 'smooth out' compositional
variations. This gives the flour a more uniform appearance and increases the
tolerance and handling qualities of the dough under a wide range of fermentation
conditions.
Consumers nowadays want fewer and fewer additives in their food. The baking
industry has responded by developing breadmaking techniques which reduce additives
to a minimum. Before they can be used for food production, additives must pass
rigorous approval procedures at national, European and international level.
They
must be shown to be both necessary and safe. Because they undergo such
stringent
testing, more is known about their biological, physiological and
toxicological
effects than about many of the natural foods we commonly eat. Consumers
can
therefore be confident that approved additives are safe and serve a useful
purpose.
Bread, as our staple food, has always been very closely governed by law. The
Bread and Flour Regulations (1998) govern the use of additives as well as
requiring the addition of certain nutrients*.
The Food Labelling Regulations require that all additives (except flavourings,
which are not used in bread) be individually listed in ingredient lists. Bread
wrappers carry a full list of ingredients, including additives. The provision
of
nutrition information is voluntary but bread wrappers will always include
this
on the label.
Processing Aids- Various enzymes and processing aids are also permitted for use in
breadmaking. They are destroyed by the baking process and therefore do not need to be
listed on the label.
The following additives would normally be included among the ingredients list
on bread wrappers:
Flour Treatment Agents
These are used to ensure good loaf volume and improve the crumb structure,
softness and colour. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, (E300) is the most common
flour
treatment agent used in breadmaking.
Emulsifying Agents
These are used to provide dough stability and tolerance in addition to
improving loaf volume and crumb structure and maintaining softness.
Preservatives
The most common form of preservative used is vinegar. This adjusts the
acidity level (pH) of the loaf to prevent the development of mould spores and other
spoilage organisms. Vinegar is a natural ingredient and is not regarded as a
food
additive.
Calcium Propionate (E282) inhibits the growth of mould spores and bacteria
directly.
*Nutritional Fortification of Bread
The Bread and Flour Regulations require that flour should contain not less than
0.24 mg. thiamin (vitamin B1), 1.60mg. nicotinic acid and 1.65mg. of iron per
100g. of flour. These amounts are found naturally in wholemeal flour. White and
brown flours must be fortified to restore their nutritional value to the
required
level.
In addition calcium carbonate, at a level of not less than 235mg. and not more
than 390mg. per 100g. of flour, is added to all flours except wholemeal and
certain self-raising varieties.This ensures the high nutritional value of all
bread,
whether it is white, brown or wholemeal.