ANSWER

According to Whitley (2011), L-ascorbic acid will be degraded by the heat from the baking process which in turn contributes no nutritional benefit to consumer. The maximum level of L-Ascorbic Acid to be added in flour as flour treatment agent is 300mg/kg (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2018).

α-amylase could be used in flour in accordance with GMP (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2018). The optimum addition of α-amylase on overall quality improvement was 30 mg/kg (Huang and Miskelly, 2016).

Diacetyl tartaric esters of monoglycerides (DATEM) are glycerol derivates esterified with edible fatty acids and mono and diacetyl tartaric acids which used as dough conditioners for all baked products, particularly yeast leavened products, white bread, rolls, rusks and in flour mixes (Gaupp & Adams, 2014). The maximum level to be added is about 200mg/kg to bread-type products, including bread stuffing and bread crumbs (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2018).

Guar gum is regarded as not acutely toxic, based on the results of acute oral toxicity studies. The Panel considered the available genotoxicity data on guar gum (E 412) to be sufficient to conclude that there is no concern with respect to genotoxicity and not carcinogenic (European Food Safety Authority (Mortensen et al., 2017a).

Codex Alimentarius Commission (2015) has stated that gum arabic is a substance that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for direct addition to human food and toxicity data on gum Arabic indicates little or no acute, short-term, or sub chronic toxicity.

Xanthan gum (E 415) can be regarded as non-toxic based on the results of acute oral toxicity studies. No adverse effects were reported at the highest doses tested in chronic and carcinogenicity studies and there is no concern with respect to the genotoxicity (European Food Safety Authority (Mortensen et al., 2017b).

Pectin is a naturally occurring substance (a polyscaccaride) found in berries, apples and other fruits. It is be generally regarded as one of the safest and most acceptable food additives, and this is recognised by Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels of ‘not specified’ by both the Joint Experts Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) for Codex Alimentarius purposes, and the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) in the European Union, and by Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status in United States legislation (Telis, 2012).

The maximum level of Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate (SSL) to be added into flour, bakery products (e.g. bagels, pita, English muffins), bread-type product, including bread stuffing and bread crumbs, and ordinary bakery wares is about 5000mg/kg; 3000 mg/kg in yeast-leavened breads and specialty breads, soda breads, steamed breads and buns (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2018).

The maximum level of polysorbates is about 3000mg/kg which is applicable for bread and rolls, bakery products (e.g. bagels, pita, English muffins), bread-type product, including bread stuffing and bread crumbs, steamed breads and buns, and mixes for bread and ordinary bakery wares. Whereas, the maximum level of sucrose ester to be added into bread and ordinary bakery wares is about 3000mg/kg. Lecithin could be used in accordance with GMP (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2018).

In conclusion, bread improver is safe to use as long as the dosage is in compliance with permitted dosage and not overdose.

 

References

Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2018). General Standard on Food Addictive (CODEX STAN 192-1995).

Mortensen, A., Aguilar, F., Crebelli, R., Di Domenico, A., Frutos, M., & Galtier, P. et al. (2017). Re‐evaluation of guar gum (E 412) as a food additive. EFSA Journal, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4669

Mortensen, A., Aguilar, F., Crebelli, R., Di Domenico, A., Frutos, M., & Galtier, P. et al. (2017b). Re‐evaluation of xanthan gum (E 415) as a food additive. EFSA Journal, 15(7). https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2017.4909

Huang, S., Miskelly, D. (2016). Optional ingredients for dough. Steamed Breads, 47-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100715-0.00004-5.

Codex Alimentarius Commission. (2015). Food Additives In The Standard For Infant Formula And Formulas For Special Medical Purposes Intended For Infants (CODEX STAN 72-1981).

Gaupp, R., & Adams, W. (2014). Diacetyl Tartaric Esters of Monoglycerides (DATEM) and Associated Emulsifiers in Bread Making. Emulsifiers In Food Technology, 121-146. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118921265.ch6

Telis, V. R. N. (2012). Biopolymer Engineering in Food Processing (pp. 29-31). Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Whitley, A. (2011). Bread Matters: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own (pp. 1-416). Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing.