Azodicarbonamide

[Agent11]

Do you eat bread that contains azodicarbonamide?

 

[Craig234]

http://www.examiner.com/article/azodicarbonamide-another-reason-to-avoid-most-bread

 

[DaveSimmons]

http://www.examiner.com/article/azodicarbonamide-another-reason-to-avoid-most-bread

Interesting, but vague and sensationalistic in spots. I'd like to see a better article on this with more real data.

> ""In the UK, the H.S.E has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitiser (a possible cause of asthma) and determined that products should be labeled with "May cause sensitisation by inhalation."

That's apparently all of the negative information they could find on it, other than it being banned elsewhere for unknown reasons.


> Q: Why is it in my bread?
> According to Mark Rubi, the former baker and owner of The Lick Skillet Bakery in Boulder, Colorado, the answer is “I don’t know.” He says,

That's some fine lazy journalism there Lou. If companies are spending money to buy and add it there must be some reason. Taste? Shelf-life? Dick Roman's plan to make us taste better?


> "most commercially made bread in the United States uses this chemical additive." then in smaller print, "For more info: Not all bread is made with azodicarbonamide...."

So, how about some real numbers? My loaf of whole wheat bread (Franz brand) is az. free, so based on useless anecdotal evidence I'd conclude this is not yet an epidemic.

 

[Agent11]

Yea I buy franz as well. I have noticed all the store brands have it, as well as many others.

 

[Craig234]

Interesting, but vague and sensationalistic in spots. I'd like to see a better article on this with more real data.

> ""In the UK, the H.S.E has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitiser (a possible cause of asthma) and determined that products should be labeled with "May cause sensitisation by inhalation."

That's apparently all of the negative information they could find on it, other than it being banned elsewhere for unknown reasons.


> Q: Why is it in my bread?
> According to Mark Rubi, the former baker and owner of The Lick Skillet Bakery in Boulder, Colorado, the answer is “I don’t know.” He says,

That's some fine lazy journalism there Lou. If companies are spending money to buy and add it there must be some reason. Taste? Shelf-life? Dick Roman's plan to make us taste better?


> "most commercially made bread in the United States uses this chemical additive." then in smaller print, "For more info: Not all bread is made with azodicarbonamide...."

So, how about some real numbers? My loaf of whole wheat bread (Franz brand) is az. free, so based on useless anecdotal evidence I'd conclude this is not yet an epidemic.

That was just a quick 'what is it' link since the OP had zero info. I don't think it's a good site or a good article, just gives a few basic facts of what it is.

But, you are really nit picking here - pointing out the article says most, not all bread has it, then pointing out you have some bread that doesn't like it's some big 'gotcha' point.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I realize you weren't advancing that article as good, I was pointing out that it's not a credible look at whatever problem there might or might not be with this additive.

Based on the lazyness and sloppiness of that article, I think my single-brand example is just as credible as the author's unsupported claim that "most" brands include it, even though he never bothered to find out why it's used.

 

[Craig234]

I realize you weren't advancing that article as good, I was pointing out that it's not a credible look at whatever problem there might or might not be with this additive.

Based on the lazyness and sloppiness of that article, I think my single-brand example is just as credible as the author's unsupported claim that "most" brands include it, even though he never bothered to find out why it's used.

I don't think that's right. If the article struck me as that bad that the basic facts were lies, I wouldn't have used it - it seems to get those the same as some other sources.

That's all I'm saying, I think you went too far in attacking it, by pretending 'hey, I'll say my bread represents the whole issue' trying to mock the article.

Better to not exaggerate the problem. Otherwise we're mostly agreeing.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I didn't find any good data on real-world use either, but wiki had a little info on why it is used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azodicarbonamide
"Azodicarbonamide is used in food industry as a food additive, a flour bleaching agent and improving agent. It reacts with moist flour as an oxidizing agent.[2] The main reaction product is biurea,[3] a derivative of urea, which is stable during baking. Secondary reaction products include semicarbazide[4] and ethyl carbamate.[5] The United States permits the use of azodicarbonamide at levels up to 45 ppm.[6] In Australia[citation needed] and Europe[7] the use of azodicarbonamide as a food additive is not approved"

This study seems to say it's harmless instead of deadly:
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/40abcj28.htm
"The content of this document is the result of the deliberations of the
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives which met at Rome,
13-20 December, 19651 Geneva, 11-18 October, 19662"

"Biochemical aspects

When azodicarbonamide reacts with flour, it behaves as a hydrogen
acceptor and it is rapidly and completely converted into biurea, which
is stable under baking conditions. Reaction between azodicarbonamide
and flour only occurs on wetting. Forty-five minutes after treatment
of a flour with 8.25 ppm of azodicarbonamide, less than 0.1 ppm of
azodicarbonamide could be detected in the dough. When 14C-labelled
azodicarbonamide was used for breadmaking, the activity remained in
the bread and there was no liberation of labelled carbon dioxide.

Biurea labelled with 14C was unaffected by pepsin or trypsin
in vitro. When administered orally to rats in doses of 33 mg,
labelled biurea was recovered quantitatively within 120 hours from
faeces and urine. Absorption from the intestinal tract was about 20
per cent. No radioactivity was detectable in the blood after 24 hours;
no tissues were found to accumulate biurea (Joiner et al., 1963; Oser
et al., 1965)."


So far it looks like Agent11 bit on a FUD email forward from some food-purity group. I'm not against food purity (my peanut butter is Adams. Ingredients: Peanuts.) but I'll buy "impure" food too without thinking it will deplete my vital essences or harsh my mellow.

 

[Agent11]

No. If I had an agenda I would be more verbose.

Just curious about peoples opinion on it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

No. If I had an agenda I would be more verbose.

Just curious about peoples opinion on it.

I'm curious where you heard about this additive -- I'd never heard about it before your post.

 

[Agent11]

I think I heard it mentioned off hand during a cooking show a while ago, then I did a little googling.

 

[CycloWizard]

Flour, sugar, and just about any other dry powdered ingredient will also be listed as an inhalation hazard. All of these things are inhalation hazards when in powdered form. Once they are baked into a bread, the inhalation hazard is gone unless you decide to snort a loaf of bread.

 

[Greenman]

Material Safety Data Sheets are available for every chemical used in the US.


http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922989