Poisonuos flour – Myth Vs Fact Part 2

Myth: The flour is empty of nutrition after the bleaching process

Fact: Flour manufacturing process does diminish essential nutrients of flour such as Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin and Folic Acid (Vitamin B)

Reality: The diminishing of Vitamin B is due to the process itself and not due to the bleaching.

Myth: Vitamin B are synthesized from pork

Frankly I have little trouble to find any facts to suggest vitamin B are synthesized from pork. It is undeniable pork contain high amounts of Thiamine, but that is it, other nutrition such as Riboflavin, Niacin and Folic Acid can be found in other poultry or plants at much higher levels. The idea of using poultry to extract the vitamin though sounds a bit futile. Pork, for instance, has around 1.1 mg per 100g of B1. Processing the meat will lose the vitamin similar to wheat flour manufacturing. Vitamins are manufactured either chemically or fermentation. For instance Riboflavin is manufactured to industrial scale using microorganism such as Candida famata and Candida Flaveri. As such the idea of using pork to produce Vitamin B does not make sense.

Myth: Bleached wheat flour may induced diabetes chemically

Similar with myth above, I find myself to be constrained and unable to explain this particular issue with much clarity. Let’s just discuss this issue one at time. The aforementioned chemicals that can induce diabetes, which may be found in wheat flour, are alloxan. Alloxan is oxidized product of uric acid. Uric acid oxidization results in formation of Allantoin or Alloxan, depending on the pH. Generally, uric acid oxidation with Nitric Acid, Chlorine or Iodine produces Alloxan. The point I am trying to make here is not to argue that there is no Alloxan in wheat flour, what I am seeing is that Benzoyl Peroxide has been carrying the blame when in fact it was the use of chlorine oxide as maturing/bleaching that oxidizes uric acid into alloxan. Not that I am insinuating there is a highly dangerous level of Alloxan in flour.

Alloxan is chemical used to induce diabetes in lab rats. The protocol for using alloxan to chemically induced diabetes are roughly as follows; Alloxan (70-90mg/kg) with Streptozotocin (200-400mg/kg) through injection (Either i.v or i.p). Obviously the amounts used are relatively higher than that would be found in bread. I do realize that there might be room for argument on the accumulative effect of Alloxan, frankly I am not proficient in reading material that are too technical. I am inclined to believe; from my understanding, there is evidence that suggest alloxan induced diabetes wills in turn causes formation of Reactive Oxygenated Species (ROS), and this does accumulates in human body. However, the very fact I could not grasp the idea in its entirety does bug me. If there are readers out there that do read this note in entirety and willing to enlighten me on this matter, please do.

Nevertheless, I stand by on my findings that Benzoyl Peroxide does not directly responsible for any ruckus that has been going on. There are other chemical used in manufacturing plant for various items for years even decade goes unnoticed, but that does not mean every chemical used in manufacturing process is harmful. Apart from that, there might be some merit on matter pertaining to diabetes induction; however, I could not be entirely sure on that matter. Lastly, there is no pork or ham produced parts involved in manufacturing of flour.

Reference

1) http://www.saw-leipzig.de/forschung/projekte/zeitstrukturen-endokriner-systeme/endokrinologieiii/endo_07-lenzen.pdf 2) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jctb.280530402/abstract 3) http://lamilanaise.com/nos-produits/farine-blanche-tout-usage-non-blanchie/ 4) http://www.ijrpbsonline.com/files/59-3290.pdf 5) http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agns/pdf/jecfa/cta/63/Benzoylperoxide.pdf 6) http://www.eatingrealfood.com/articles/how-and-why-is-flour-bleached/ 7) https://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/goutstudy/PurineContent.aspx