Watch out for Potassium Bromate

Wonder bread, Chex Mix, Swanson dinners and many other bread-based products all have one particular ingredient in common, potassium bromate. If you scroll through some of your favorite bread products you’ll find that most nutrition labels list this controversial ingredient. However, some consumers may not pay attention to it because potassium is linked to the term, and that has to be a good thing, right? You may want to start looking closely for products containing this ingredient and check your pantry for those that label it. Here’s why:

What exactly is potassium bromate?

We’ll break it down. Potassium is a chemical element that most people are already very familiar with. We need potassium for brain and nerve function, osmotic balance, and to maintain electrolyte balance. It is naturally occurring in a variety of different foods such as bananas, avocados, potatoes, pistachios, and other fish, nuts, herbs, and produce.

The component that plagues this controversial ingredient is “bromate.” Bromate is an oxyanion, which in other terms means the chemical element Bromine is bonded to an oxygen atom. Bromine is a halogen element on the periodic table, and thus highly reactive and potentially lethal to biological organisms when consumed in certain quantities.

When food scientists combined potassium with bromate, they found that they created a compound that strengthens flour and helps bread puff up during baking. Also, breads containing this ingredient will have a much longer shelf-life than those that do not. In most cases, the compound is used up entirely during the baking process, and, therefore, won’t cause any harm if consumed. However, there are some cases in which there are residual amounts of potassium bromate left behind, and this could potentially cause harmful effects to humans.

Research has shown that potassium bromate causes thyroid and kidney tumors in rats, and has been labeled as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Many countries such as Canada, China, Peru, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and the European Union have already banned potassium bromate as a food additive. However, the United States is somewhat behind the curve and has not yet banned this additive. Instead, they have asked bakers to voluntarily stop using this ingredient. Califo
ia has enforced a law that requires all products with this ingredient be labeled with a cancer warning. Until the FDA banishes it, you should remain on the lookout. ï® Jennifer Wyckoff, www.foodfacts.com