Maida, maida flour, or maida mavu is a type of wheat flour originated from the Indian subcontinent.
Production
Maida is made from the
endosperm: the starchy white part of the
grain. The bran is separated from the
Cereal germ and endosperm which is then refined by passing through a sieve of 80 mesh per inch (31 mesh per centimeter).
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.
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.
Controversy
A common claim in the popular media is that maida contains
alloxan, added as a bleaching agent or formed as a byproduct of bleaching.
While it is a minor product of
xanthophyll oxidation, there is no evidence that trace amounts of alloxan formed comprise a health risk.
See also
