(June 2016)
This report presents thiamin content data from two bread analytical surveys undertaken in 2010 and 2012 under the Implementation Sub-committee for Food Regulation (ISFR) National Coordinated Survey Plan. The surveys were part of ongoing activities to monitor the impact of mandatory folic acid and iodine fortification of bread and were used by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to also determine the amount of thiamin in breads on the Australian market.
The surveys sampled three types of breads commonly consumed by Australian from the capital cities of all states and territories. The samples were chemically analysed for the amounts of thiamin, folic acid and iodine they contained. The chemical analysis was undertaken by the National Measurement Institute (NMI) of Australia's food analytical laboratories in Melbourne following a successful tender bid. The results for folic acid and iodine are reported elsewhere. The analytical method used for the determination of thiamin (vitamin B1) in bread is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA).
The results indicated that within the limits of the analytical tests, breads manufactured by either large-scale industry bakeries or small-scale local bakeries contained added thiamin, which reflected the use of thiamin fortified wheat flour as required by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code).
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