ANALYSIS OF POTASSIUM BROMATE IN SOME BREAD AND FLOUR SAMPLES SOLD IN DUTSE TOWN.

Potassium bromate, is an oxidizing agent and one of the best and cheapest dough improvers in the baking industry. Due to its positive effects it plays a major role in the bread-making industry. Potassium bromate has significant effect on food biomolecules, such as starch and protein, as it affects the extent of gelatinization, viscosity, swelling characteristics as well as gluten proteins: it removes the sulfhydryl group and leads to the formation of disulfide linkages and thus improves the bread properties. The aim of this work is to determine the potassium bromate content in bread and flour sample obtain in Dutse. Ten (10) different bread brands and three (3) wheat flour brands were randomly obtained from bakeries in Dutse metropolitan. The samples were analysed for potassium bromate using standard methods, the results obtained revealed the presence of potassium bromate in three (3) of the bread samples and none was detected in flour samples analysed. The concentration of bromate in the bread samples ranged between 0.02 - 1.12 ug/g. This study shows that some bakers in Dutse still make use of potassium bromate as bread improver despite its ban in 1993 by the Nigerian National Agency for Food. Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).