Figuring Out Food #3

This time we focus on food additives and vitamins. Once again, we look at S’mores Poptarts. Here is our familiar nutrition label:

1. Some of the food additives in this product are xanthan gum, certain dyes for coloring, thiamin hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), folic acid, sugar, gelatin, baking soda. Xanthan gum is used as a ‘fat replacer’ to provide good mouth-feel, and is also used as a stabilizer, along with gelatin, to provide a uniform texture and also increase mouth-feel. Vitamins B1 and B2, as well as folic acid are nutrients added to replace vitamins and minerals lost in processing, and to add nutrients that are needed in a healthy diet. Sugar is obviously used as a sweetener (who wants to eat straight up unsweetened flour?).Baking soda is a leavening agent, allowing the baked good to rise.  Coloring dyes are used to enhance the appearance of the product.
2. 

Thiamin mononitrate, aka Vitamin B1. According to the NIH, thiamin is crucial to energy metabolism, and therefore in the growth, development, and function of cells. The vitamin has a short half-life, so people need to intake thiamin constantly. Thiamin deficiency causes beriberi, whose symptoms include loss of appetite, weakness, pain in the limbs, shortness of breath, and swollen feet or leg.

Riboflavin, aka Vitamin B2, is a critical component in 2 enzymes: flavin mononucleotide (FMN; aka riboflavin5-phosphate) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These enzymes are important in energy production: the life cycle of cells, and the metabolism of fats, steroids, and drugs. The conversion of the amino acid tryptophan to niacin requires FAD. As if Riboflavin wasn’t doing a lot already, it helps maintain normal levels of  homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood.

3. The ingredients contributing sugar are sugar, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, molasses, cocoa, and milk chocolate. Simple sugars and starch polymers are likely to be present in the dextrose, corn syrups, cocoa, and even molasses, due to it being literally a bottle of refined sugar. More complex sugars would be found in the milk chocolate.

Ingredients contributing fiber include whole wheat fiber (there is not much in this product). This is soluble fiber.

15 grams of carbohydrates=one serving of them. 1 pastry contains 36 carbohydrates. This mean that in one serving of poptart, you are getting 2. 36/15=2.4, so you are getting 2.4 servings of carbohydrate per serving.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/ . –> info on thiamin

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Riboflavin-HealthProfessional/ . –> info on riboflavin

https://www.bd.com/resource.aspx?IDX=9850 <– carbs/serving