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Bread, as a standing food for breakfast, is deeply loved by consumers, but the added preservatives also attract consumers' attention.

The preservatives prescribed in our country are Calcium propionate ,benzoic acid, Sodium benzoate,sorbic acid,Potassium sorbate, etc.Let us first understand, what are food preservatives? Food preservatives refer to a class of food additives that can inhibit the activity of microorganisms, prevent food from spoilage due to microbial reproduction during production, transportation, storage, and circulation, and prolong the edible value. As long as the amount of preservatives used in food processing meets the requirements of food safety standards, there is no need to worry that it will cause harm to the body. 

However, excessive or excessive use of preservatives will bring certain potential health hazards. For example, long-term intake of foods with excessive benzoic acid preservatives may induce immune system diseases such as asthma and urticaria. It should be specially reminded that infants and young children have immature development of various organs and incomplete metabolism of substances, so the health damage caused by preservatives is difficult to predict.

Is it safe to add preservatives to bread? 

Some people think that the addition of preservatives is unsafe and harmful to human health, but this is not the case. We cannot rely solely on subjective and simple judgments, but must consider the limit of its use. 

The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (JECFA) has previously evaluated the safety of food additives, and proposed a recommendation on the allowable daily intake of food additives (ADI for short, which means that when there is no obvious health risk) For example, in the case of acute and chronic poisoning, the amount of food additives that can be ingested by a person per day on a body weight basis). Taking the preservative sorbic acid and its potassium salt as an example, its ADI value is 0-25mg/kg. Taking a person weighing 50kg as an example, his maximum allowable intake of sorbic acid is 1250mg per day. 

In this way, we can estimate: According to GB 2760-2014, the maximum limit of sorbic acid and its potassium salt (calculated as sorbic acid) is 1.0g/kg, this person can eat 1.25kg of bread every day, if each bread is calculated as 100g , it takes 13 breads to reach his maximum allowable intake of 1250mg, and under normal circumstances, the actual addition of sorbic acid and its potassium salts in bread will be less than 1.0g/kg. Food additives are relatively safe as long as they are eaten within the scope of the GB 2760-2014 standard.

Calcium propionate produced by Bailin Group, with a purity of 99%, is used for preservatives in bread and cakes, and has a strong inhibitory effect on Aspergillus niger, aerobic spore-forming bacteria and some specific bacteria.The company pays close attention to the quality process control, strictly implements the HACCP and ISO management systems, and has always been at the forefront of the industry in terms of technical process and product quality, and has established a high-end brand image. The product Calcium propionate is sold in many countries and regions around the world, and are favored by customers at home and abroad.

How to control the use of various preservatives in bread? 

GB 2760-2014 not only stipulates the type, usage amount or residual amount of a certain additive that is allowed to be used in food in China, but also stipulates that when preservatives with the same function are used in combination, the sum of the proportions of their respective amounts to the maximum usage amount shall not be equal. It should exceed 1 (that is, the preservative summation coefficient is less than or equal to 1). For example, two kinds of preservatives, dehydroacetic acid and propionic acid, were detected in a certain bread, and their contents were 0.08 g/kg and 0.5 g/kg, respectively. First, consider whether the two preservatives meet their respective maximum permissible levels. 

According to the regulations, the use limits of dehydroacetic acid and propionic acid are 0.5g/kg and 2.5g/kg respectively, which are in line with the requirements; secondly, it is necessary to consider whether the addition coefficient of preservatives meets the requirements. The calculation formula is: 0.08/0.5+0.5/2.5=0.36≤1, then the mixed use of this bread preservative is qualified.

What should we pay attention to when buying bread?

1. Pay attention to the production date and shelf life. Under normal circumstances, the shelf life of bread is not too long. We should try to choose bread with a relatively recent production date, and the amount of each purchase should not be too much. 

2. Pay attention to the ingredient list. Know the types of food additives used, and try to choose products that use less food additives, so as to prevent the purchase of products with unqualified additives that exceed the range or limit. 

3. Check whether the package is in good condition. Check whether the packaging is in good condition, whether there is a production license number on the packaging, whether it is from a regular manufacturer, etc.