Maida, maida flour, or maida mavu is a type of wheat flour originated from the Indian subcontinent.[1][2] It is a super-refined[citation needed] wheat flour used in Indian cuisine to make pastries and other bakery items like breads and biscuits. Some maida may have tapioca starch added[citation needed].
Production[edit]
Maida is made from the endosperm: the starchy white part of the grain. The bran is separated from the germ and endosperm which is then refined by passing through a sieve of 80 mesh per inch (31 mesh per centimeter).[3] Although naturally yellowish due to pigments present in wheat, maida is typically bleached, either naturally due to atmospheric oxygen, or with any of a number of flour bleaching agents.[4]
While it is milled from winter wheat that has a high gluten content, heat generated during the milling process results in denaturing of the protein, limiting its use in the preparation of leavened breads.[5]
Controversy[edit]
A common misconception is that maida contains alloxan, which itself is banned in a lot of countries for usage in food, added as a bleaching agent or formed as a byproduct of bleaching.[6] While it is a minor product of xanthophyll oxidation, there is no evidence that trace amounts of alloxan formed comprise a health risk.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Manu Vipin (2011-10-31). "A life without bread and pasta? Unthinkable!". Times of India. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
- ^ Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. "The Food Lover's Companion - Fourth edition by Barron's Educational Series (2007)". Archived from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
- ^ "Patent US5114079 - Simplified method and apparatus for producing white flour from wheat grain".
- ^ "Patent US2433611 - Bleaching of wheat flour and like milled products".
- ^ "Patent US6098905 - Method for producing an atta flour".
- ^ "Why this Kolaveri against Kerala porotta?". The Times of India. 10 July 2013.
- ^ Schwarcz, Joe (2003), Alloxan (PDF), Department of Chemistry McGill University: Office of Science and Society, p. 1, archived from the original on September 15, 2011, retrieved September 10, 2011
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Well, that’s interesting to know that Psilotum nudum are known as whisk ferns. Psilotum nudum is the commoner species of the two. While the P. flaccidum is a rare species and is found in the tropical islands. Both the species are usually epiphytic in habit and grow upon tree ferns. These species may also be terrestrial and grow in humus or in the crevices of the rocks.
View the detailed Guide of Psilotum nudum: Detailed Study Of Psilotum Nudum (Whisk Fern), Classification, Anatomy, Reproduction