Warning of aluminum in pretzels

Every fifth pretzel exceeds the limit of aluminum

05/12/2014

The popular Bavarian national pastry, the Breze, has fallen into disrepute. The reason is an excessive aluminum load on the lye pastry. A report from „sueddeutsche.de“ According to pretzels have been burdened for more than ten years, heavily contaminated with the toxic light metal. Aluminum is suspected of causing breast cancer and Alzheimer's.

Some pretzels contain 15 times the maximum allowable amount of aluminum
Since 2003, pretzels have been regularly tested for pollution. As the consumer advice center in Bavaria confirms, the results regarding the exceeding of the limit values ​​of aluminum in the past ten years hardly improved. „Pretzels often contain too much aluminum, "says Daniel Krehl of the consumer center. „In the case of food controls, one in five pretzels must be withdrawn from circulation because it exceeds the limit.“

In Germany, the maximum value of aluminum in pretzels is 10 milligrams per kilogram. In recent years, however, values ​​of up to 66 milligrams have been measured, reports the consumer center. A baker even detected 156 milligrams of aluminum in his pretzels. „That's more than 15 times the maximum allowed, "explains Krehl. „This is beyond good and evil. "

„The complaint rate is relatively high. It averages 20.5 percent, "reports the LGL newspaper, adding that the 2007 quota of aluminum-laden pretzels reached a sad record: 29.6 percent - almost every third pretzel. Then they are one „not safe food and are judged to be not suitable for consumption, "LGL CEO Andreas Zapf explained to the newspaper.

Excessive levels of aluminum in pretzels can be hazardous to health
Aluminum is a light metal that has a toxic effect on the human body when it is overdosed. It is also "linked to the development of breast cancer and Alzheimer's". Since "aluminum is not only contained in food, but also in deodorants and other cosmetics, it can quickly come in everyday life to exceed the harmless amount."

When asked where the aluminum in the pretzels comes from, Zapft says: „These are the baking trays of the bakers. They are mostly made of aluminum because it is the best heat conductor. "In addition, the pretzel doughs are treated with a caustic soda solution before they are baked, which gives the pretzels their characteristic color and crispness in the oven, but at the same time the caustic soda is so hot It removes metal particles from the aluminum sheets, which are then transferred to the dough, for example, baking paper on the sheets could help, but many bakers continue to insist on the traditional method.