The Levels of Sodium Bicarbonate and Salt in Different Types of Bread in Sabzevar Bakeries in 2006-2007

Background and

In order to artificially process, to fasten the process of production and to make up for deficiencies of the natural fermentation, most bakeries opt to use chemicals such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydrosulfate, and additional salt (for reducing gluten sylait and increasing the dough resistance). This produces further problems and chronic health outcomes such as malnutrition, disturbance in digestion, hypertension, allergy and so on. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the levels of these chemicals used by bakeries. Methods and Materials: This cross sectional descriptive analytical study was conducted in Sabzevar, Iran during 2006-2007. Out of a total of 168 bakeries, 62 were sampled by a two-stage stratified method. PH and salt of the bread were measured by the standard method. The obtained data were analyzed t-test in SPSS 11.5.

Based on the results, mean PH across the four seasons was 5.76±0.39. Manual taftoon bakeries showed a higher PH than the mechanical bakeries. The independent t-test indicated that mean PH across four seasons was not statistically different for the two types of bakeries (p>0.05). Mean salt use in mechanical and manual bakeries was different but the difference was not significant across fall and winter.

Mean PH in the bakeries is around the standard level but the salt use is a little higher than the standard level, which may be affected by the oven and flour quality.