Potassium Bromate in Bread Flour — food safety profile
Moderate riskPotassium bromate used as flour improver in bread baking — strengthens dough and produces higher rise.
What is this product?
Potassium bromate used as flour improver in bread baking — strengthens dough and produces higher rise. IARC Group 2B possible carcinogen (kidney tumors in rats). Banned in EU (1990), UK, Canada, China, India, Brazil, Nigeria, and most of the world. Legal in the US — FDA permits as food additive. California Proposition 65 requires warning label. Most commercial US bread now bromate-free due to consumer pressure, but artisan and small bakery use persists.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Flour Improver
Who's most at risk
- Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight
Red flags — when to walk away
- Product legal in US but banned/restricted in EU — International safety consensus may differ from US regulation.
Green flags — what to look for
- Product meets both US AND EU safety standards — Compliant with strictest global standards.
Safer alternatives
- Unbromated flour — King Arthur, Gold Medal, Bob's Red Mill
- Organic flour — USDA organic standards prohibit potassium bromate
- Ascorbic acid — vitamin C) as natural dough improver alternative
Frequently asked questions
Who should be careful with Potassium Bromate in Bread Flour?
Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.
Are there safer alternatives to Potassium Bromate in Bread Flour?
Yes — consider: Unbromated flour; Organic flour; Ascorbic acid. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.
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Open in food View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →