Analysis on the occurrence of bromate contamination in French type bread

Abstract

Bread-making sector in Brazil has been doing efforts in order to follow the trends of a demanding and competitive market, and the use of additives (oxidizing agents) has been one alternative. Bromate potassium (KBrO3) is an oxidizing agent that enhances the gluten chains. Despite their technological and economical benefits, the toxicity of this product has been demonstrated when used as a food additive. In Brazil the addition of KBrO3 in flour and bakery products is prohibited, in any amount. The French-type bread samples collected from 25 commercial spots were analyzed in triplicates, being in total 75 trials. The bromate detection was performed in two steps: firstly a screening test by using a qualitative analytical method for identifying the oxidizing agents-positive samples; and subsequently the determination of BrO3 using the fuchsin-bisulfite reagent. This component was found in all of the analyzed samples. The confirmatory analysis identified bromate occurrence in samples from six of 25 analyzed stores, corresponding to a frequency of 24 % of analyzed samples. In spite of the use of potassium bromate has been forbidden in bakeries, this additive has still been employed by bread factories, representing a risk to the population health.