Cereal Chem 72:139-141  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Stability and Contribution of Beta Carotene Added to Whole Wheat Bread and Crackers.

G. S. Ranhotra, J. A. Gelroth, J. Langemeier, and D. E. Rogers. Copyright 1995 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Whole wheat bread and crackers were fortified with beta carotene using three pure (all-trans) sources: one water-soluble and two oil- soluble. Two sources contained added antioxidants. Carotene in both bakery products was highly stable during the prebaking steps and also during the typical market shelf life of the products. However, carotene losses were appreciable during baking, ranging from 4-15% for bread products to 18-23% for crackers. Beta carotene sources with added antioxidants generally exhibited greater carotene stability, but only during baking and not during product storage. Baking caused a steric shift in carotene, with cis isomers averaging approximately 18% in bread products and approximately 34% in crackers. A serving of each product would provide over 500 IU of vitamin A activity (can be labeled a "good source" of vitamin A) and nearly 0.4 mg of carotene.