I think I have strange tastebuds – I love eating bread crusts, more than any other parts of any bread. I cut / tear away the crust to eat and leave the rest.
Well, I try to do this only at home, but sometimes when there’s a bread basket plonked down in front of me when I dine out, I can’t resist. My family and dining partners are usually happy to pick up my leavings – my skills of bread/ crust separation are well-honed.
Here’s the good news: A German research has shown that bread crust contains much more antioxidants – eight times more – than in bread crumbs. This is due to a type of antioxidant, called pronyl-lysine, that is produced in the baking process.
When the bread dough gets toasty in the oven, Pronyl-lysine is formed in the reaction between the protein-bound amino acid L-lysine, starch and reducing sugars . This process known as Maillard reaction, is what makes the surface of the bread get that appetising, appealing brown tone. And yes, there is a reason for the superior taste of crust as compared to the inner part – this reaction also produces flavour compounds and other kinds of antioxidants!
You can also elevate the amount of antioxidants in your bread by picking darker coloured breads like grainy or wholewheat breads over light coloured ones like white bread.
There’s just one catch: don’t overdo the toasting as too-brown bread would reduce the amount of antioxidants.
How do you think I found out this juicy bit of news? Due to the cancer-causing element of barbequed / charred food, I was fretting about my attachment for the crust as I thought eating the brown bits was akin to eating charred food. I’m so thrilled to find out things are on my side.
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