Does bleaching or milling flour remove vitamins?
Does bleaching or milling flour remove vitamins? Is this why some flours are enriched, even non-bleached ones, with, e.g., "niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid" (source)?
for 100 g of each flour:
| Flour | Vitamin B3 (niacin) | Iron (Fe) | Vitamin B1 (thiamine) | Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour, bleached, enriched, all-purpose, wheat | 6.740 mg, 42% | 5.62 mg, 31% | 0.939 mg, 78% | 0.443 mg, 34% |
| Flour, unbleached, enriched, all-purpose, wheat | 7.070 mg, 44% | 5.41 mg, 30% | 1.050 mg, 88% | 0.467 mg, 36% |
| Flour, unbleached, unenriched, all-purpose, wheat | 1.590 mg, 10% | 1.18 mg, 7% | 0.298 mg, 25% | 0.000 mg, 0% |
| Flour, unenriched, whole wheat | 5.550 mg, 35% | 3.86 mg, 21% | 0.504 mg, 42% | 0.128 mg, 10% |
| Wheat flour, unenriched, all-purpose, white | 1.250 mg, 8% | 1.17 mg, 6% | 0.120 mg, 10% | 0.040 mg, 3% |
As the data show, extra processing (bleaching, refining for white flour) removes a substantial amount of vitamins (whole wheat has roughly 3× the amount of vitamins compared to unenriched white or all-purpose!).
Best Answer
It's not the bleaching, but the milling which causes this loss of vitamins.
The lack of certain vitamins in white flour led to some serious diseases. Enrichment began to counter these(, instead of just using whole wheat flour like some other countries like to do, because Americans).
Flour enrichment can provide an important source of iron in the diet. In the U.S., flour enrichment was established in the 1930’s as the popularity of white flour increased. Health concerns about the rise in cases of diseases such as beriberi and pellagra led to an examination of white flour. Both beriberi and pellagra are caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The addition of B vitamins and iron to white flour eliminated the diseases beriberi and pellagra.
The initial enrichment of white flour called for niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and iron. In the 1990’s folic acid was added in order to prevent the risk of coronary heart disease and birth defects such as spina bifida.
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Quick Answer about "Does bleaching or milling flour remove vitamins?"
Bleached flour is typically refined, meaning that the nutrient-rich bran and germ of the wheat kernel have been removed, stripping the grain of many of its valuable vitamins and minerals and leaving only the endosperm.Why do they put niacin in flour?
Flour enrichment provides the following: Thiamin aids digestion and helps the body process fat and carbohydrates. Riboflavin is an essential vitamin that aids the body in the use of protein. Niacin is responsible for preventing pellagra.Is white flour bleached?
Let's start with the one most familiar to everyone. The all purpose white flour. All Purpose flour is most commonly used in making cookies, cakes, muffins, and biscuits. This type of flour comes bleached and unbleached.What is enriched bleached wheat flour?
Enriched flour, which goes hand-in-hand with bleached flour, is a type of flour from which the natural vitamins and minerals have been removed in an effort to create a finer texture and increased shelf life. Flour manufacturers then add nutrients back into the flour to \u201cenrich\u201d the product.What is added to flour?
As you are aware, under The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, industry is required to add iron, calcium, thiamin and niacin to wheat flour (except wholemeal flour).The Difference Between Bleached and Unbleached Flour
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