Cereal Chem 45:531 - 538.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Oxidation of Sulfhydryl Groups of Flour by Bromate Under Various Conditions and During the Breadmaking Process.

C. C. Tsen. Copyright 1968 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Bromate is a slow-oxidizing agent for cystine and glutathione, particularly for the sulfhydryl (SH) group of flour. The oxidation of SH groups in flour-water suspension by bromate can be increased slightly by lowering the pH of the suspension, but markedly by raising the temperature of the suspension. This temperature effect is confirmed with the determination of SH groups oxidized by bromate in nonfermented and fermented doughs heated at various temperatures. It is also supported by the results of baking tests with bromated and unbromated doughs, whether fermented or not. The effect of dough fermentation on the oxidation by bromate is insignificant. The present results indicate that the major bromate effect on oxidation of SH groups occurs when dough is heated during the early stage of baking. The synergistic action through the use of a combination of flour improvers is discussed.