Atmospheric Pollution Causes Deterioration of Sweeteners of Treats and Decreases Competitiveness in the Food Industry of Coastal Baja California, Mexico

Abstract

The use of pigments and sweeteners in the food industry has been of great importance over the last thirty years, as an aid to obtaining better quality products of certain types of food that require specialized methods of production, such as sweet breads. Since pig‐ ments were first used they have increased the competitiveness of the regional, national and international bakeries and treats companies found on the coast of Baja California, in northwest Mexico. In this region of the country, many people consume a considerable quantity of sweet bread, principally in winter. The pigments are made using specialized methods and have qualities relevant to the special conditions required in the storage and manufacturing processes, as well as to the types of food and the packaging associated with them. This is done in order to achieve a favorable appearance, and to create an be aactive product fortoforonsumers. Any bread with defective sweetener or pigmentation levels must be rejected and returned to the manufacturing process or be offered as food to pigs at a much lower market price resulting in economic losses to the company and a decrease in competitiveness. A specialized analysis of the subject was undertaken be‐ tween 2012 and 2014 with the use of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).