Why is crust better for you

But that antioxidant is more or less canceled out by the carcinogen acrylamide, which can occur as the crust is being formed. Both the antioxidant and the carcinogen come from the Maillard reaction, a product of the high heat applied to the crust while baking. To be clear though, this doesn't mean bread crust is actively giving you cancer. It just means the scientific community's verdict on the matter is mixed.

Who is winning the battle? Yet bread crust does offer some important health benefits: namely, dietary fiber and an antioxidant called pronyl-lysine. Pronyl-lysine is a cancer-fighting compound created during a chemical reaction that takes place while baking. This phenomenon was discovered in a German study known as the Maillard Reaction.

According to the International Journal of Food Science , "when foods are being processed or cooked at high temperature, chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars leads to the formation of Maillard reaction products MRPs. During this reaction, not only is the bread's flavor and aroma created, but "both beneficial and toxic" compounds can be released.

The same reaction also produces flavor compounds and other types of antioxidants. Pronyl-lysine is formed during baking in both yeast-based and yeast-free bread, also known as "tea bread. In general, dark-colored breads such as pumpernickel and wheat contain higher amounts of these antioxidants than light-colored breads such as white bread. Strong over-browning of bread, however, reduces the level of these antioxidants, says Hofmann. Materials provided by American Chemical Society.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Science News. This process, known as the Maillard reaction, discovered by Louis-Camille Maillard in the early s, was long credited by scientists for producing different flavor components and the brown color on the surface of baked breads. However, in recent years, researchers have credited the Maillard reaction with producing antioxidants that are beneficial to those who consume bread crust.

The antioxidant pronyl-lysine forms as a result of the Maillard reaction when starch and reducing sugars react with the protein-bound amino acid L-lysine. In a study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, researchers found that rats that ingested pronyl-lysine experienced increased enzymic antioxidant activities [source: European Journal of Cancer Prevention ].

Pronyl-lysine is more prevalent when bread is broken down into smaller pieces; that is, smaller loaves make for a bigger percentage of crust per slice. While pronyl-lysine is produced by both yeast-based and yeast-free bread, darker breads like wheat and pumpernickel contain higher levels of antioxidants than lighter breads like white. But be careful of too much browning.

Burning or overly browning bread can actually lower the level of antioxidants. In fact, burning bread flips from cancer-preventing to cancer-creating -- burning your bread can produce carcinogens [source: Health and Natural Lifestyles ]. Could you forego an expensive perm and opt for a diet of bread crust, instead?

The old wives' tale claims that eating bread crust will make your hair curly. Unfortunately, there's no truth to this myth. Historically, curly hair was associated with prosperity, and wealthy people were able to afford to eat more bread.