Comparative Test Our Daily Bread: White OR Brown n almost every country around the world Bread is a staple food. IThere are different types of Breads available around the world, Key Findings like tortillas, chapattis, baguettes, • None of the brands marked date of packing. ciabatta. The history of sliced Bread • Brand Perfect Premium in both white and brown category was goes back to the 60's when Britannia found underweight but within the maximum permissible limit set up its own semi-automatic Bread of Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. plant in Mumbai city to initiate a huge Sliced Bread industry in the country. • All the brands of white bread were conforming to the Following its footsteps, number of requirement for Potassium Bromate and Potassium Iodate. organized players like Aryan, Modern Bonn high fibre (52.76mg/kg) in brown bread was found with Bread, WIBS Bread (Western India higher potassium iodate content, however Harvest Gold Harty Bakers Pvt. Ltd.) entered this industry Brown (31.46mg/kg) had lowest. in the country. Bread being a cheap • Golden Taza Premium (173 cfu/g) had lowest count of total and basic instant food available for microbes, which indicate better hygienic condition during consumption; its sale has increased manufacturing and processing. Brand Perfect Premium over the years and made it almost (323cfu/g) had higher total plate count among all. All the a staple. Thus you might see, in brands of white and brown bread complied in yeast & mould many households, bread and butter count as found less than 10cfu/g. for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, • Among the brands of white bread, Golden Taza Premium was bread pakoras as a snack and burgers most liked by the panelist followed by Harvest Gold Premium for dinner!. But in India it is still a sec- and Perfect Premium. Brand Bonn Prime Time scored least ondary staple food when compared J among all. In brown bread, Harvest Gold Harty Brown was UN to chapatti, poori or rice. As per the most acceptable followed by Perfect Premium and Bonn High E 2012 Food Safety and Standards (Packag- Fibre, however Gopala was least acceptable. ing & Labeling) Regulations, 2011 “ Food with shelf life of not more than http://consumervoiceblog.wordpress.com/ CONSUMER VOICE 7 Comparative Test 7 days, the date of manufacture may Brands Tested not be required to be mentioned on Consumer VOICE tested 10 popular brands of white and brown bread. Name of the label of packaged food articles, the brands we tested are given below: but the ‘Use by date’ shall be men- tioned on the label by the manufac- Sensory Carbohydrates Crude ture or packer. So most of the breads Brand/ White Bread Rank Protein% Test % Fibre% declare ‘use by date’ on the label/ Score wrapper. For this reason, once the Britannia 2 7.46 52.62 0.26 21.81 Bread is baked and packed, any baker makes it a point that it reaches the Bonn Prime Time 5 7.96 52.13 0.25 19.05 market at the earliest. Harvest Gold Premium 3 7.06 52.83 0.28 23.85 Brown bread spells the color of bread Golden Taza Premium 1 6.46 53.16 0.35 25.11 only, may be made of Atta (whole Perfect Premium 4 5.90 56.94 0.30 22.95 wheat flour), or Maida (Refined wheat Sensory flour), or combination of both. Also Protein Carbohydrates Crude Brand/Brown Bread Rank Test may have natural caramel color. Fibre% % % Score Test programme of comparative test- Perfect Premium 1 8.47 54.51 0.87 22.20 ing of bread was based on the IS: 1483-1988, FSSA and other relevant Bonn High Fibre 2 9.20 49.68 0.93 22.05 standards. There is not any Indian Harvest Gold Harty 1 8.31 50.54 0.88 23.16 Standard for brown bread; hence the Brown test programme of brown bread was Gopala 3 8.58 51.08 0.94 18.75 based on other relevant standards as well as manufacturer claims. English Oven 2 9.03 50.96 0.90 21.06 Nutrition Comparison of White and Brown Bread Carbohydrate tail stores, making that brand most acceptable/least acceptable in re- Carbohydrates are an ideal source Parameter White Brown spect of price. During this test, we of energy for the body because they Crude- determined the overall organoleptic 0.25-0.30 0.87–0.93 get converted more readily into glu- Fibre% (sensory) quality of the product in cose. This is the form of sugar that terms of consumption. We conducted Protein% 5.90–7.96 8.31–9.20 is transported and used by the body the sensory tests for acceptability in and therefore expected to be high Carbohyd- 47.38 48.90 Color & Appearance, Texture, Fla- in breads. rate% –56.94 –54.51 vor, Taste and also Overall accept- Carbohydrate was found within ability. These tests were conducted Nutritional Value: Protein the range of 49.68% to 56.94%. in the laboratory involving panel members under the supervision of Proteins are an essential nutrient in Perfect premium (56.94%) trained experts. diet. They play an important role in white bread had higher carbo- the cellular maintenance, growth, hydrate content; however Bonn Among the white breads, Golden and functioning of the human body. high fibre (49.68%) white bread Taza Premium was most liked by In Indian Standards there is no spec- had least carbohydrate content. the panelists, followed by Harvest ified requirement for protein content Gold Premium and Perfect Pre- Sensory Tests in breads but the higher, the better. mium. Bonn Prime Time scored This is very important parameter least among all. In brown breads, Protein content in both the cate- where subjective Panel tests were Harvest Gold Harty Brown was gories was ranging from 5.90% conducted based on critical exami- most acceptable followed by Per- - 9.20% .Perfect premium in nation and opinion. It was observed fect Premium and Bonn High E 2012 white bread was found with that the consumer is very critical Fibre, however Gopala was least JUN least protein content 5.90 % during selection of product from re- acceptable 8 CONSUMER VOICE http://young.consumer-blog.blogspot.com/ Comparative Test Packaging test with similar score; scoring all followed by Perfect Premium 4.5 out of 5. (0.30%) and Harvest Gold Pre- As per the Indian Standard, bread mium (0.28%). In brown bread, should be wrapped or packaged None of the brands of white or brown Gopala (0.94%) was found with whole, or in sliced form in clean bread were marked with standard higher crude Fibre content, how- waxed paper or any other suitable (IS). Mark. Date of packaging was ever Perfect Premium (0.87%) food grade wrapper to preserve also not there. Though requirement had lowest. freshness. All the tested samples for date of packaging is not specified of White bread brands scored 2.1 in Indian Standard for bread, but as Alcoholic Acidity out of 3 whereas Brown Bread per the consumer’s point of view, brands scored 3 out of 3. date of packing ought to be marked It determines the shelf life of bread. on bread packages/labels It is expected to be low, and 'lower All the samples of both white and the better' in bread. brown bread were packed in poly Net Weight packs. But all white breads were Result, Score As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Brand sealed by the heat sealing process % out of 3 which could be tampered with, and Commodities) Rules,2011, maximum White Bread which is supposedly not a fair prac- permissible errors on net quantity tice from the consumer’s point of declared by weight is 3% for 300 to Britannia 0.049 2.75 500 pack and 15gm for 500 to view. However all brands of brown Bonn Prime 0.053 2.70 1000 g. bread were packed in poly pack and Time sealed by the adhesive tape on the All brands of white and brown Golden Taza 0.060 2.60 top with manufacturer’s name and breads passed the test scoring 6 Premium could not be resealed. Hence marks out of 6. of the bread samples sealed by the Harvest Gold 0.062 2.57 Among the brands tested all were Premium heat sealing process were deducted meeting the requirement of Legal and the other brands scored full. Perfect Premium 0.070 2.46 Metrology (Packaged Commodi- Brown Bread Marking ties) Rules, 2011. Brand Perfect Premium in both white and brown English Oven 0.042 2.85 The following particulars shall be category was found underweight but clearly and indelibly marked on each Harvest Gold 0.049 2.75 within the maximum permissible limit pack of Bread on outer side of the Harty Brown of Legal Metrology (Packaged pack; printing, if any should be with Commodities) Rules, 2011. Bonn High 0.061 2.59 non toxic and non transferable ink. Fiber • Name of product; Crude Fibre Gopala 0.074 2.41 • Name and address of the manu- Crude Fibre is to measure the quantity Perfect premium 0.075 2.41 facturer; of indigestible cellulose, pentosans, lignin, and other such components Among the tested white bread brands • Trade name if any; present in foods. Such components Perfect Premium (0.070%) had high- • Net weight of the loaf; have little food value but provide the est alcoholic acidity, however Britan- • Ingredient bulk necessary for proper peristaltic nia (0.049%) had lowest. In brown bread, Perfect Premium (0.075%) • Any additional ingredients, for ex- action in the intestinal tract.