From time to time, it is heard in some news that the chemical compound of benzoyl peroxide, which provides whitening in flour, is a serious problem for the flour industry. Indeed, the chemical compound of benzoyl peroxide has been shown to have carcinogenic effects in many studies. Nevertheless, businesses that use this substance cause unfair competition.

As is known, the Turkish Food Codex Regulation aims to ensure the production, preparation, processing, storage, storage, transportation and marketing of food products with appropriate techniques and hygienic conditions in order to protect the interests of the producers and the health of consumers. According to this regulation, food additives are substances which are not consumed on their own or used as food raw materials but whose residues pass to the product during production, with or without a nutritional value. Additives are used to preserve the taste, odor, appearance and similar properties of food products during the production, processing, packaging, transportation and storage of food products and to prevent undesirable changes.

According to the Turkish Food Codex Wheat Flour Communiqué (Communiqué no: 2013 / 9), the additives allowed to be used in flour must comply with the relevant provisions.

The freshly ground flour is yellow. Naturally whites in a few weeks. However, as there is a demand for whiter flour, benzoyl peroxide as a diluted powder is used to bleach flour pigments. The benzoyl peroxide compound achieves its bleaching effect to a great extent within the first 6 hours.

In European Union countries, the use of benzoyl peroxide as an additive in flour is prohibited. The World Health Organization limits the use of benzoyl peroxide as an additive to the maximum 40 mg / kg in flour and maximum 75 mg / kg in special purpose flours.

In the laboratories, benzoyl peroxide analysis in flour is carried out within the scope of chemical tests. In these analyzes High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method is used and also standards based on national and international organizations are used.