Good Afternoon Mr. Chairman, Members of NAFDAC, Members of the Nigerian Baking Community and friends of the baking industry.

I consider it to be a privilege to be addressing such a distinguished group today, a group including many bakers, a group that represents one of the largest, most important industries in the world. Everyone depends on you for his “daily bread”. To be able to meet the needs to the public, you are to be congratulated.

To produce a good quality loaf of bread in an efficient economical way is not easy! Throughout my career as a baker and chemist starting at the age of 16 on automated bread production line, it has been a challenge to bake a good loaf of bread like my grandmother did.

It has been concluded that you cannot do so without the proper dough conditioners, which brings up potassium bromate, one of the first.

In 1910, Ward Baking Company, a large successful baking group, with bakeries throughout the U.S. determined that the same bread formula used did not give the same results everywhere or even the same results every day in a single bakery. They determined that potassium bromate at 10 ppm was a solution for the better uniformity of size and shape of the bread. It gave them better volume, increased absorption (water content) and fewer cripples.

So they got a patent on its use at 10 ppm, although it caused cancer, the FDA allowed it on the basis it was completely decomposed during “baking” to a lesser level. However in the 1980’s when used at higher levels, new test procedures for potassium bromate revealed small quantities of residual potassium bromate left in the bread.

Immediately, the baking industry throughout the world began looking for a potassium bromate replacement. The answer to this is to replace it with EDC-95 which I was first to introduce to the U.S. market and EDC-2000 Dough Condition which is also my invention.

How do dough conditioners work?

It has been concluded that dough conditioners have the ability to associate with both the protein and carbohydrate portions of wheat flour, thereby strengthening the extensible gluten-starch film before the film has been fixed or stabilized by OVEN HEAT. In other words, you are setting and stabilizing the inside grain and texture and outside crust of the bread.

With Edlen Dough Conditioners you improve the following in the dough stage:

1.  Improved mixing tolerance
2. Increase water absorption
3. Improved gas retention during fermentation and proofing stages
4. Resistance to collapse from rough treatment or “knock-down” protection when putting the pans in the proof box and the oven
5. Recovery from “knock-downs”
6. Faster fermentation

The Finished Bread Results Are:

1. Improved LOAF volume
2. Better texture and fine grain (with less blisters)
3. Strong sidewalls (improved stability)
4. Improved slicing

It should be borne in mind that the cost of dough conditioners are more than off-set by the better yields (i.e. more loaves), fewer cripples, and improved stability (better quality bread products). In addition to better handling and stacking by the sales people.

VITAMINS
Now there is one other subject I would like to address briefly and that is the introduction by Edlen of a vitamin and mineral enrichment program.

In the case of Iron, one billion people world-wide are iron deficient. Many of them are women and children, causing anemia which IMPAIRS health and productivity, mental performance and resistance to infection of adults as well as children.

Thiamin deficiency causes beriberi.

Niacin deficiency causes skin disorders.

Folic Acid deficiency may cause colon cancer, heart disease, and neural tube defects in babies.

Well-nourished individuals might delay HIV/AIDS disease. Sound nutrition may reduce secondary disease infections among AIDS patients. GOOD NUTRITION IS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.

Baked goods such as bread require only minor modification to improve this nutritional profile. The baker can play a major role in insuring our freedom from vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases.

I would like to end with this being the goal Edlen to work hand in hand with the baking industry to rise to meet the higher levels of challenges it faces. The baking industry must increase its efforts of cooperation with nutritionists and government representatives. It must communicate with consumers. It must be willing to improve the nutritional quality of its products when this improvement is justified by need, safety and efficacy.

Dough conditioners can make your bread and roll products more saleable! About this, there is no doubt, I feel confident your use of EDC-95 and EDC-2000 will do all that we have talked about. Why take a chance on flour quality, seasonal water analysis changes, yeast performance, and temperature and humidity changes when you can depend on the Edlen Dough Conditioners to help you. They are safe, pure, unadulterated, and they work better than potassium bromate.