Ascorbic acid

[jackie]

does anyone know much about Ascorbic acid? Is it vegan? i've looked it up and it mentions a lot about vitamin C but is this all that it is?? where does it come from? I can't find much about it.

Reason i ask is that I've started making my own bread and it's an ingredient in my flour.

Thanks

[Prawnil]

Vitamin C is all it is, yep.

[jackie]

What about flour treatment agent?

[Prawnil]

Vitamin C as a flour treatment agent? As far as I have seen, it is industrially built with corn or wheat (http://www.quali-c.com/dn_vitamin-c-industrial-production/) as the source, and so: Ok!

[jackie]

not sure if it IS the treatment agent?


ingredients say: wheat flour, ascorbic acid, flour treatment agent

[Mahk]

"Flour treatment agent" is about as descriptive as "secret ingredient we are not disclosing to you at this time". Could be anything, really.

Edit to add: Just back from cyberspace (it's cold , wear a jacket). Looks like maybe they do mean the ascorbic acid afterall. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improving_agent)

[Prawnil]

I'd say that if you want to be very sure, you should ask the supplier direct. Like Mahk's link shows, "treatment agent" covers "improving agents", which cover the E92#s, which includes L-Cysteine - which might not be from a vegan source. It looks likely that it is Ascorbic acid, 1 (http://www.eat-online.net/english/education/food_additives/flour_treatment_agents.htm) 2 (http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/flour-treatment-agents.html), but it's a mystery really.

[jackie]

Ok thank you for your help. I will refrain from eating this loaf that i've just made (just in case) - OH will be happy he's got it to himself lol

:p

[Quantum Mechanic]

What about if the bread package includes "enzymes"? Is that vegan, non-vegan, or unspecified? The bread I have now doesn't list this, but still I have seen it before and wondered.

[Mahk]

^unspecified, but usually microbial......I think.:confused:

Bread in America is a nightmare, at least where I live: "Enzymes", "starter culture"?!, "L-cysteine", "mono and diglycerides", "natural flavor", DATEM, polysorbate 80, steroyl lactolate (sp?), honey...

I have to buy a weird specific brand I don't particularly like, just to avoid these compounds: Barowsky's "oatnut" (I don't like oats or nuts in my bread but I have little choice).

[Quantum Mechanic]

^LOL about weird bread! (I am proud of my hippie bread. :) ) <-wanted to say that all day.

I have to buy this sprouted bread (unless I want to take an hour 1/2 or more in bus time plus shopping plus waiting time), and while I don't dislike it, it's just kind of expensive, though convenient as it's a vegan bread that is 10 minutes walking distance from my dorm! :) :D :)

Hmmm...I think there were "enzymes" unspecified in a bread I had over holiday in California (though at the time I looked it up on the Internet and thought I had read that it was ok, guess I was wrong)...well it was better than my first bread-buying experience when I accidentally bought one with milk and mono and diglycerides and DATEM and polysorbate 80...and those are just the ones I know from memory of the ingredients list...O.O

[terem]

I have a hard time finding bread as well.
But about the mono and diglycerides: Isn't that a coin toss, like ascorbic acid and glycerin? I thought it could be derived from an animal or plant source.
I'm sure there is a thread about this somewhere, but it is little mentioned from what I could see. Does everyone avoid mono and diglycerides?

[Daffodil]

Does everyone avoid mono and diglycerides?


Well I do try to avoid anything that I wouldn't have a jar/tub of in my kitchen cupboards. I can't say i've seen tubs of that for sale or had it listed on a recipe! lol.
But I'm no saint....
I would like it if they stated if it was plant/animal source also.

[Prawnil]

I've started to email the producers of foods that have glycerides in them to ask if they're aware of what the source is - a kind of mini project. I thought it might help build a picture of what the most common sources are. They might be of animal origin in theory, but, for example, perhaps in certain countries there are standard sources that're vegetable. Who knows! No answers so far.

[terem]

Thanks Daffodil and Prawnil!;)
I think I'll start emailing as well, Prawnil.